Influence on Amputee Gait by the Ankle Joint Alignment

Socket pressure distributions with gait analysis of a trnsfemoral and a transtibial prostheses were measured in order to assess an optimal socket fitting and function. Ankle joint was aligned by the neutral and the dorsi/plantar flexed positions. Compared to dorsi and plantar flexed positions of ankle joint, cadence and walking speed increased with the neutral ankle joint alignment. Other gait parameters were close to the normative data with the neutral ankle joint alignment. For the transfemoral amputee, dorsiflexed alignment of the ankle joint created high pressure on the lateral aspect of the socket, on the other hand, plantarflexed alignment resulted in increased pressure on the medial aspect of the socket. For the transtibial amputee, dorsiflexed alignment of the ankle resulted in high pressure on the antero-lateral aspect of the socket during mid-stance, but apltarflexion of the ankle joint showed slight increases in pressure at the same location in the socket. The present study clearly demonstarted that malalignment of a prosthesis results in localized increasesing pressure within the socket. Proper slignment of the prosthesis is required in order to acquire an appropriate socket-limb interface as well as the proper gait.