The effect of prosthetic torsional stiffness on the golf swing kinematics of a left and a right-sided trans-tibial amputee

The golf swing is a biomechanically complex movement requiring three‐dimensional movements at the ankle joint complex (AJC), the hips and shoulders. Trans‐tibial amputees lose the natural AJC movements as many prostheses do not allow three dimensional foot movements. Torsion devices have been developed and incorporated into prostheses to facilitate internal and external transverse plane rotations. These devices can help amputees to compensate for the loss of movement and to reduce shearing stresses at the stump‐socket interface. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of three torsion devices on body rotations during the golf swing. Two trans‐tibial amputees (one right‐sided and one left‐sided) were analysed using three‐dimensional video analysis at address (ADR), the top of the backswing (TBS) and at the end of the follow‐through (EFT). The participants played shots with a 3‐wood under three different prosthetic conditions (two with a torsion device set to different stiffness ...