Some Gait Characteristics of Below-Knee Amputees and Their Reflection on the Ground Reaction Forces

Human locomotion studies employing cinematography and force plates have been conducted during the last five decades with the goal of producing a clinically acceptable gait evaluation technique. The bulk of information contained in the kinetic studies was the major obstacle in achieving this goal. Our aim in this work was to explore the possibility of representing some locomotor abnormalities solely by their reflection on the ground reaction force characteristics. As a first stage towards the establishment of these relationships, the gait characteristics of below-knee amputees were examined. One hundred and thirty ground force test results as obtained on twenty three below-knee amputees were analysed. Different variables such as time durations of the various phases, peak forces, impulses, rate of change of the forces, and others, were examined. The conclusions suggest that some of these variables are suitable for evaluation of gait and some, such as small perturbations superimposed on the curve, may serve as indicators of specific malfunction of the prosthetic system.