A research team compared patient-reported and functional measures in people with transfemoral amputations and low-activity levels as they transitioned from mechanical prosthetic knees to microprocessor knees (MPKs). According to the authors, they found significant improvements in the frequency of falls and in the Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP), L-Test, two-minute walk test (2MWT), and Activities Balance Confidence (ABC) scores. The data also indicated that health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and Gait Profile Scores (GPS) did not significantly improve with MPK provision.
In the retrospective cohort analysis, patient-reported measures were recorded in routine clinical care before and six months after MPK provision. They included a HR-QoL (EQ-5D-5L Health Index), ABC, Prosthetic Limb User Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M), falls frequency, use of walking aids, and Socket Comfort Score. Functional measures included the 2MWT, L-test, and AMP scores. Three-dimensional gait analysis was used to generate a GPS.
Forty-five participants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Thirty-one had pre-MPK and post-MPK measures, of which 15 had three-dimensional gait analysis. The mean age (n = 31) was 60 years (SD 11), and 68 percent were male.
The researchers concluded that although no statistically significant change in the primary outcomes was measured, there was sufficient data to support MPK provision in low-activity prosthesis users with participants demonstrating improvements in balance, 2MWT, falls frequency, and confidence.
The study, “Comparison of patient-reported and functional outcomes following transition from mechanical to microprocessor knee in the low-activity user with a unilateral transfemoral amputation,” was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.