Effect of foot and ankle immobilization on able-bodied gait as a model to increase understanding about bilateral transtibial amputee gait:

Background:The anatomical foot–ankle complex facilitates advancement of the stance limb through foot rockers and late-stance power generation during walking, but this mechanism is altered for persons with bilateral transtibial amputation when using passive prostheses.Objectives:To study the effects of bilateral foot and ankle immobilization on able-bodied gait to serve as a model for understanding gait of persons with bilateral transtibial amputation and associated compensatory mechanisms.Study design:Comparative analysis.Methods:Nine able-bodied persons walked at self-selected slow, normal, and fast speeds. They performed trials unaltered and when fitted with bilateral foot and ankle–immobilizing casts. Data from 10 individuals with bilateral transtibial amputation walking at self-selected fast speeds were used for qualitative comparison.Results:The average speeds for the able-bodied fast speed cast and normal speed no-cast trials were similar and were compared with bilateral transtibial amputation data....