The daily mean step count decreased for British military male personnel with bilateral lower-limb amputations between in-patient rehabilitation and consecutive leave periods when away from rehabilitation, according to a new study published October 30 in Prosthetics and Orthotics International. Study results confirmed the researchers’ hypothesis that the mean daily step count would change between those periods.
Nine individuals with bilateral traumatic amputations (time since injury: 19 ± seven months, age: 26 ± six years) attending rehabilitation at the Defense Medical Rehabilitation Centre in the United Kingdom during a four-month period participated in the study. Prostheses worn by each participant were fitted with an activity monitor. Mean daily step count was analyzed for each participant following two weeks in-patient rehabilitation and consecutive two weeks away from rehabilitation.
Mean daily step count significantly decreased from 2258 ± 192 during in-patient rehabilitation to 1387 ± 363 steps while at home, the study found.
