Wernke MM, Ficanha EM, Thomas Z, Maitland ME, Allyn KJ, Albury A, Colvin J. Mechanical testing of frontal plane adaptability of commercially available prosthetic feet.
J Rehabil Assist Technol Eng 2022;
9:20556683221123330. [PMID:
36093414 PMCID:
PMC9459498 DOI:
10.1177/20556683221123330]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction
Prosthetic feet have limited adaptability in the frontal plane. Research
shows walking on uneven terrain is difficult for many prosthesis users. A
new prosthetic foot, the META Arc, was designed with a polycentric ankle
joint that allows relatively free movement in the frontal plane to address
this limitation. Previous simulations of the polycentric ankle mechanism
found potential benefits such as reduced lateral movement of a proximal mass
during forward progress and reduced forces being transferred upward from the
ground through the foot.
Methods
Standard mechanical testing protocols were used to evaluate the Meta Arc
prosthetic foot’s performance and six comparable feet commercially
available.
Results
The results found the META Arc prosthetic foot had increased frontal plane
adaptability as well as reduced lateral forces, and reduced inversion
eversion moment compared to the six comparison feet on 10-degree cross-slope
test conditions. All included prosthetic feet had similar results for the
percent of energy return and dynamic force in the sagittal plane.
Conclusions
These results suggest the inclusion of the polycentric ankle within the META
Arc foot will provide more stability without sacrificing forward walking
performance.
Collapse