Assessment of AK (Above knee) prosthesis with different ankle assembly using GRF pattern in stance phase

Abstract

In this study, ground reaction force (GRF), absolute symmetry index (ASI) and coefficiet of variation (CV) of fixed, single-axis and multi-axis prosthetic ankle assemblies were investigated by biomechanical evaluation of above knee amputees. In the experiments, 37 normal male volunteers, two male and two female Above Knee (AK) amputees GRF data were tested with fixed, single-axis and multi-axis prosthetic ankle assembly. A gait analysis was carried out to derive the ratio of GRF to weight as the percentage of total stance phase for ten points. The results showed that fixed-axis ankle assembly was superior to other two ankle assemblies for forwarding and braking forces. Multi-axis ankle was relatively superior to other two ankle assemblies for gait balancing and movement of the mass center. Single-axis ankle was relatively superior to the other two ankle assemblies for CV and ASI of GRF. Copyright © 2006 by The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.