Prosthetists have more evidence to prescribe microprocessor-controlled knees to people who have a transfemoral bone-anchored prosthesis, thanks to new research published in the Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal.
“At this stage, the prescription of microprocessor-controlled knees is essentially based on CPOs’ preferences and understanding of the components. This study helps to alleviate … subjectivity in the prescription of components,” said first author Laurent Frossard, a professor of bionics at Griffith University.
The research involved 13 male participants who had transfemoral amputations and measured forces and moments applied on the prostheses during walking and other daily activities. The primary objective of the cross-sectional study was to characterize the load applied on transfemoral bone-anchored prostheses fitted with an active microprocessor-controlled knee.
Frossard shared with SmartBrief the main findings and what clinicians and patients should know about the research.
What are the key findings?
The key finding is that participants fitted with a bone-anchored prostheses, including the Power Knee, walked approximately 10% faster than those fitted with a typical socket-suspended prosthesis.
This increase is due to the capacity of the Power Knee for assisting participants moving forward by increasing the force produced by the prosthesis knee at the end of the support phase of the gait cycle.
How will the findings benefit users?
This study showed that it is safe to transition from currently used passive microprocessor-controlled knees [to] active microprocessor-controlled knees such as the Power Knee.
Consequently, individuals fitted with transfemoral bone-anchored prosthesis can not only safely use the Power Knee but also benefit from the Power Knee due to an increase of functions.
What is the most important thing clinicians should know about your research?
This study provides sufficient evidence for evidence-based prescription of the Power Knee, so that qualified prosthetists and rehabilitation specialists can safely prescribe the Power Knee to individuals fitted with transfemoral bone-anchored prostheses.
In what ways will this study support future research?
This study provides critical loading data that are required by bioengineers to improve the design of current and upcoming transfemoral osseointegrated implants for new bionic solutions such as bone-anchored neuroprostheses.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about this study?
Other conventional biomechanical studies used fixed motion capture equipment in clinical facilities to collect comprehensive but unreflective data about the efficacy and safety of prosthetic knees. Instead, our study used an innovative approach using a biosensor to measure more real-life activities [to] provide more representative data.