In summary, the prosthetist is the best source of information with regard to the fast-changing lower extremity prosthetics technology for sports. The needs and desires of the amputee should be ...outlined and balanced with the cost of the desired components and design. In many cases, one carefully designed prosthesis can serve in dual roles for everyday ambulation and certain athletic activities. In other cases, the amputee is limited severely by a prosthesis that is not designed for a specific activity. Using a prosthesis for activities that it was not designed to accommodate can cause physical injury to the amputee as well as structural failure of the device. A properly designed and fitted prosthesis can open a whole new world of activity to the amputee and helps him or her to reach the desired a vocational goals.
Interface pressures and shear stresses were measured at monthly intervals on two trans-tibial amputee subjects who lost more than 12% of their body weight over the course of the study. For one ...subject interface pressures and shear stresses during the weight-acceptance phase of gait decreased over the study interval at all 13 sites monitored, while the other subject experienced increased pressures distally but decreased pressures proximally. Subjects' stumps appeared to atrophy over the study interval, increasing distal end and patellar tendon loading, but not increasing interface shear stresses at other locations. Adding socks at the end of the study did not return interface pressures to first session values at all sites. It is expected that local stump shape changes occurred, causing a non-uniform change in interface stress patterns.
