title: Patient preference and gait efficiency in a geriatric population with transfemoral amputation using a free-swinging versus a locked prosthetic knee joint.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate patient preference, walking speed, and prosthetic use in a geriatric population with transfemoral amputation using a free-swinging prosthetic knee or a locked knee joint.
  
  
  METHODS
  Before-after trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ambulatory patients at an amputee rehabilitation facility.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 14 geriatric individuals with a unilateral dysvascular transfemoral amputation (age range, 61-80y), who were using a prosthesis with a free-swinging knee in the community, 3 months after discharge from an amputee rehabilitation program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Change from a free-swinging knee to a locked knee.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patient preference, distance walked in 2 minutes, and prosthetic use as measured by the Houghton Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven of 14 participants preferred the locked knee. Irrespective of preference, the mean 2-minute walk distance was 44.9 +/- 28.9m with the free-swinging knee and 54.4 +/- 35m with the locked knee (P = .001). Prosthetic use was greater with the locked knee (7.8 +/- 2.2) than with the free-swinging knee (6.6 +/- 2.5) (P = .01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most geriatric participants with transfemoral amputation preferred locked knees and walked faster and used their prostheses more when using a locked knee prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Physiatry, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. mdevlin@westpark.org
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: Lynne B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colman
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nizio
authors.forename: Janet E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric