Patient Evaluation of a Novel Prosthetic Foot with Hydraulic Ankle Aimed at Persons with Amputation with Lower Activity Levels. Issue 1 (January 2017) - Moore, Raymond
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Since their release, prosthetic feet with integrated hydraulic ankle units have proved a popular prescription choice among individuals with amputation, as quantified in previous studies. Since the release of the Avalon foot, a new design specifically aimed at less active individuals with amputation, all the patients prescribed this foot within our clinic have been asked to trial and then evaluate it using the Seattle Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Fourteen established K2 activity level patients with amputation were asked to evaluate their existing prosthetic foot using the Seattle Prosthesis Evaluation Questionnaire before beginning a trial of the new Avalon foot for a period of 4 weeks. The Avalon foot was then evaluated using the same tool after this trial. Results: The results showed the patients recorded an improvement in all the domains evaluated. There were significant improvements noted in both the overall prosthetic satisfaction and in the patients' overall gait satisfaction. Conclusions: The results showed a marked improvement in the patients' perception of their prosthesis when using the Avalon foot, and further studies including gait analysis are warranted to help in our understanding of this.