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A comparative study of oxygen consumption for conventional and energy-storing prosthetic feet in transfemoral amputees

Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK, lorradam{at}yahoo.com

Dipak Datta

Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK

Ben Heller

Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK

John Howitt

Mobility and Specialised Rehabilitation Centre, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, UK

Objective: To compare oxygen consumption for traumatic high-functioning transfemoral amputees wearing initially a conventional prosthetic foot (Multiflex) and then an energy-storing prosthetic foot (Vari-Flex).

Setting: A regional prosthetic and amputee rehabilitation tertiary referral centre in a teaching hospital.

Study design: Experimental crossover trial.

Subjects: Six established unilateral transfemoral prosthetic users.

Interventions: Oxygen consumption breath-by-breath analysis at multiple speeds on a treadmill for each amputee wearing initially the Multiflex foot and then repeated wearing the Vari-Flex foot.

Results: Mean oxygen consumption across all subjects was lower for the Vari-Flex foot than for the Multiflex foot at all speeds, although the differences were only significant at speeds of 0.83 and 1.1 m/s (P<0.05). ANCOVA analysis across all speeds showed that oxygen consumption with the Vari-Flex foot was significantly lower (P<0.001). The estimated difference across all speeds was 3.54 mL/kg.min.

Conclusion: A high functioning transfemoral amputee who wears an energy-storing prosthetic foot may have significantly reduced oxygen consumption at normal walking speeds.

Clinical Rehabilitation, Vol. 22, No. 10-11, 896-901 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0269215508088990


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