Intersegmental Dynamics of the Swing Phase of Walking in Trans-tibial Amputees

INTRODUCTION Unilateral, trans-tibial amputees reflect significant inertial asymmetries between the intact and prosthetic limbs [1] and also exhibit temporal, kinematic, and kinetic gait asymmetries during walking [2]. Early modeling research [3] suggested lower extremity inertial symmetry may lead to more symmetrical gait patterns in unilateral amputees. Mattes et al. [1], however, found that matching inertial properties exacerbated existing temporal asymmetries. In an effort to better understand the influence of inertial manipulation on swing phase dynamics for unilateral, trans-tibial amputees, we examined the effect of matching the inertial properties of prosthetic and intact legs on intersegmental dynamics at the knee and hip during walking.