title: Center of pressure and total force analyses for amputees walking with a backpack load over four surfaces.
abstract: Understanding how load carriage affects walking is important for people with a lower extremity amputation who may use different strategies to accommodate to the additional weight. Nine unilateral traumatic transtibial amputees (K4-level) walked over four surfaces (level-ground, uneven ground, incline, decline) with and without a 24.5 kg backpack. Center of pressure (COP) and total force were analyzed from F-Scan insole pressure sensor data. COP parameters were greater on the intact limb than on the prosthetic limb, which was likely a compensation for the loss of ankle control. Double support time (DST) was greater when walking with a backpack. Although longer DST is often considered a strategy to enhance stability and/or reduce loading forces, changes in DST were only moderately correlated with changes in peak force. High functioning transtibial amputees were able to accommodate to a standard backpack load and to maintain COP progression, even when walking over different surfaces.
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada. Electronic address: esinitski@toh.on.ca.
authors.forename: Emily H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Sinitski
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada.
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Herbert-Copley
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada; University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, 451 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
authors.forename: Edward D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Lemaire
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, School of Human Kinetics, 125 University Private, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
authors.forename: Sean S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.affiliation: Canadian Forces Health Services Group, 1745 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON, K1A 0K6, Canada.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besemann
authors.affiliation: Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, Canada; University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, 451 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5, Canada.
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Dudek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000674:Amputees; D001186:Artificial Limbs; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Amputee; Backpack; Center of pressure; F-Scan; Load carriage