title: Staying in dynamic balance on a prosthetic limb: A leg to stand on?
abstract: With the loss of a lower limb, amputees lack the active muscle empowered control of the ankle that is important for balance control. We examined single-leg stance on prosthesis vs. sound limb balancing on narrow ridges in transtibial amputees. When balancing on the prosthetic limb, the lateral displacement of the center of pressure was reduced and was compensated by an increase in counter-rotation. We show that single-leg stance on a prosthetic limb can be compared to balancing on a narrow ridge. Standing on a prosthetic limb involves the same balance mechanisms as balancing on narrow ridges of 40-mm to 20-mm width. Yet, the ability to balance on a narrow ridge with the sound limb was only a weak predictor for an amputee's ability to stand on the prosthetic limb. Balancing in single-leg stance on a prosthetic limb is not a common activity. The ability to compensate with the sound limb may therefore be functionally more important than the ability to stay in dynamic balance on the prosthetic limb.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Neurology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA. Electronic address: curtze@ohsu.edu.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Curtze
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: At L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hof
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Klaas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Postema
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Otten
mesh_terms: D001186:Artificial Limbs; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004856:Postural Balance
keywords: Amputee; Balance; Dynamic stability; Single-leg stance