JRRD at a glance Volume 45n Number 1

Manufacturers of microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee mechanisms, specifically the C-Leg® (Otto Bock; Minneapolis, Minnesota), claim the knee allows subjects to seamlessly change speed, descend stairs stepover-step, and recover from stumbles. To test these and other potential functions, we gave 19 transfemoral amputees the opportunity to accommodate to a C-Leg and tested them in a series of nine evaluative measures. First, we tested subjects in their previously accommodated nonmicroprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee mechanism and then, following an accommodation period, tested the subjects again on a C-Leg. Testing included subjective measures of prosthesis function and prosthesis-related quality of life, number of stumbles and falls, walking tests (of various speeds and distances), and a question on preference. The C-Leg yielded improvements in all categories tested and was preferred by most subjects. A secondary analysis revealed that many subjects who were initially considered limited community ambulators were able to increase their status to unlimited community ambulators when they used the C-Leg. We will look more closely at microprocessor candidacy in a more functionally diverse sample of subjects in future studies. Review of secondary physical conditions associated with lower-limb amputation and long-term prosthesis use