Can Off-The-Shelf Limb Protectors Protect Postoperative Transtibial Amputees from Falls?
Date of Award
Summer 6-2-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics
Department
Kinesiology
First Advisor
Amy Funke
Abstract
There are over 150,000 lower limb amputations done per year and 16% of those new amputees will report a fall. The consequence of those falls is a mean additional stay in a medical facility of 32.5 days. It is well established in the literature that the use of a limb protector decreases the time of healing, but there are not any studies to show that the limb protector protects the limb during a fall. This study will survey 400 amputees over 10 months. This survey will identify if various experiences in the post-operative to prosthetic fitting stage of care (including falls) had an impact on the time it took to be fit with a prosthesis. This study has the potential to legitimize the current limb protectors or support the need for more studies to be performed to make limb protectors more effective.