Technical Report: Gait Performance at Two Speeds and Carrying Capacity by Men with an Osteomyoplastic Transfemoral Limb and Comparable Controls

Introduction With advances in surgical approach like osteomyoplastic amputation, it is unknown whether outcomes of walking at different speeds or carrying performance by men with an osteomyoplastic transfemoral limb (OTFL) are comparable with those of intact controls. Materials and Methods Otherwise healthy men with unilateral OTFL and intact controls consented to participate. All were independent walkers without history of diabetes or other dysvascular condition. All underwent 2-minute walk tests (2MWTs) at self-paced and brisk-paced speeds and 25-ft carry-to-capacity testing as part of a multiyear work performance study. For the current report, investigators compared walking and carrying baseline outcomes between OTFL and control groups. Results Six men with OTFL (mean age, 33.7 ± 14.8 years) and 20 controls (mean age, 31.7 ±11.1 years) completed the study. No initial differences between groups were found in age, height, weight, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, hemoglobin A1c, overall reported pain, or report of perceived exertion scores. However, the OTFL group walked shorter mean distances at self-paced (137.2 ±18.1 m) and brisk-paced (167.8 ± 20.3 m) 2MWTs than the controls did (self-paced, 155.7 ± 19.9 m, P = 0.015; brisk paced, 211.7 ± 3.0 m, P
Source: JPO Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics - Category: Orthopaedics Tags: TECHNICAL NOTE Source Type: research