Weight bearing asymmetry during sit-to-stand activities can cause musculoskeletal problems in people with major lower-limb amputations. A team of researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if weight bearing asymmetry differed between people with lower-limb amputations and those without.
After searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and HAL up to June 2022 using keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria, the team assessed article quality and reported data for population, intervention, weight bearing asymmetry, and biomechanical analysis. Standardized mean differences were calculated from the outcomes when possible.
Eleven studies were included (102 people with amputations). Weight bearing asymmetry and sit-to-stand performance times were greater in people with amputations. Trunk motion differed in those with amputations, and lower-limb kinematics differed considerably, especially for people with transfemoral amputations.
Weight bearing was found to be more asymmetric in people with amputations than in people without.
The authors concluded that the differences in weight bearing asymmetry and kinematics during sit to stand between people with transtibial amputations and transfemoral amputations suggests that different strategies are required to improve weight bearing symmetry: improvements in active prosthetic knees for people with transfemoral amputations, and rehabilitation focused on weight-bearing for people with transtibial amputations.
The study, “Weight-bearing asymmetry during sit-to-stand after major lower-limb amputation: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International.
