Date of Award

Summer 2020

Degree Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Chair

Joann Judge

Committee Chair School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Member 2

Nuno Oliviera

Committee Member 2 School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Member 3

Gary Krebs

Committee Member 3 School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Committee Member 4

Zhanxin Shaw

Committee Member 4 School

Kinesiology and Nutrition

Abstract

The United States will perform 30,000-40,000 amputations this year (Ertl et al., 2019). As a common medical intervention, there is extensive research regarding rehabilitation strategies and post-operative care. Many studies have explored the effects of the affected limb and prosthetic intervention yet have neglected that of the contralateral limb (De Asha et al., 2014; Jones et al., 2006; Winter & Sienko, 1988). Studies have reported an increase in secondary musculoskeletal conditions among unilateral lower-limb amputees, particularly in the intact limb, indicating the need for additional research (Gailey et al., 2008). The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the research regarding the effect of unilateral lower-limb amputation on intact limb biomechanics.

This systematic review was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards (Moher et al., 2009). All search procedures, eligibility criteria, and data extraction were defined prior to the study protocol. A comprehensive search for peer-reviewed journals was conducted through the PubMed and Cochrane Library search engines. Thirty-two articles were selected for this review, six of which stated no significant biomechanical differences between the amputees and the general population. The remaining 26 articles concluded that stability and pain avoidance strategies, asymmetric gait adaptations, atypical forces, and complex trunk movement are biomechanical compensations that contribute to secondary complications of the intact limb. Findings from this systematic review showed that pain avoidance strategies, asymmetric gait adaptations, atypical forces, and complex trunk movements contribute towards the development of secondary musculoskeletal conditions of the intact limb.

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