The Effect of Prosthetic Foot Component Stiffness on Gait Initiation and Termination of Transtibial Amputees

Matching a prosthetic foot to meet the activity requirements of the user can be a difficult process. The ideal stiffness characteristics of different functional activities may vary. This variation dictates that the prescribed foot must be a compromise of multiple ideals due to functional necessity. The effects of lower limb stiffness have been studied in regards to their ability to reproduce “normal” lower limb mechanics [1,2]. Other studies have tracked gait stability and performance measures for lower limb amputees during gait initiation and termination [3–5]. However, it remains unknown what effects prosthetic stiffness may have on amputee function during gait initiation and termination. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of different component stiffness ranges on locomotion and stability measures during gait initiation and termination