BACKGROUND Walking and mobility are essential for a satisfactory quality of life. However, individuals with transfemoral amputations have difficulties in preventing falls due to prosthetic knee buckling, defined as the sudden loss of postural support during weight-bearing activities. The risk of prosthetic knee buckling can be evaluated by determining the prosthetic knee angular impulse (PKAI) during the early stance phase. However, little is known about the factors associated with PKAI in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the demographic factors that can be associated with the risk of prosthetic knee buckling, quantified by PKAI, during walking in individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations? METHODS Thirteen individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations were instructed to perform level walking at a comfortable, self-selected speed on a straight, 10-m walkway. PKAI was calculated as the time integral of the prosthetic knee external flexion-extension moment during the initial 40 % of the prosthetic gait cycle. We used Pearson's correlation coefficients to examine the relationship of PKAI with the following variables: the subject's body height, body mass, and age; the time since amputation; and the current prosthesis use history. Furthermore, an independentt-test was used to compare PKAI according to the sex (male vs. female) and etiology (trauma vs. nontrauma). RESULTS PKAI exhibited a significant negative linear relationship with the subject's body height and body mass. However, it showed no significant correlation with age, the time since amputation, and the current prosthesis use history. It was also significantly greater in women than in men and was not significantly influenced by the etiology. SIGNIFICANCE Awareness about demographic factors associated with PKAI during walking can contribute to fall assessments in gait rehabilitation programs for individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputations.

中文翻译：

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在单侧经股截肢者行走过程中与假肢屈曲风险相关的因素。

背景技术步行和机动性对于令人满意的生活质量是必不可少的。但是，经股截肢的患者很难预防因假肢屈曲而导致的跌倒，假肢屈曲是指在负重活动中突然失去姿势支撑。可以通过在站立早期阶段确定假肢膝关节冲动（PKAI）来评估假肢膝屈的风险。然而，对于单侧经股截肢的个体中与PKAI相关的因素知之甚少。研究问题通过PKAI量化，哪些因素可能与假肢屈曲的风险相关，单侧经股截肢的患者行走过程中？方法指示13例单侧经股截肢患者在10米直的人行道上以舒适的，自行选择的速度进行水平步行。PKAI计算为假肢步态周期最初40％期间假肢膝盖外部屈伸力矩的时间积分。我们使用皮尔森相关系数检查PKAI与以下变量的关系：受试者的身高，体重和年龄；截肢后的时间；和目前的假体使用历史。此外，根据性别（男性对女性）和病因学（创伤与非创伤），使用独立测试对PKAI进行比较。结果PKAI与受试者的血脂呈显着负线性关系 的身高和体重。但是，它与年龄，截肢后的时间以及当前的假体使用史无显着相关性。女性的病情也明显大于男性，并且不受病因的影响。重要性认识到步行过程中与PKAI相关的人口统计学因素可能有助于对单侧经股截肢的个体进行步态康复计划的跌倒评估。