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Objective: The lower limb amputation is one of the major concerns for the amputee's daily life and the trans-femoral (TF) amputation is being paid a lot of attention because of its functional requirement in flexion-extension motion. Though significant progress has been made for the development of high end prosthetic knee joint, the affordability of the same is still a great concern. Thus, a passive polycentric knee joint was developed and the health related quality of life (HRQL) before and after the fixation of the prosthesis, and performance of the same were studied. Design: After 6 months of fixation, the HRQL and performance of the prosthetic device were evaluated. Results: The HRQL after the fixation was found to be increased, where the improvement on the physical and mental score was found to be 49 and 46%, respectively, in comparison with pre-fixation stage. The global score (G) for the prosthetic function was found to be 63, which confirmed the increased performance of the prosthesis. Conclusions: The improved HRQL and G of prosthetic performance confirmed the enhanced performance of the prosthesis. It is concluded that the developed passive polycentric knee joint could be explored in large scale for the TF amputees. The above knee (AK) amputation is a surgical interference that severs the thigh segment between the knee and hip joints. The above knee prosthesis consists of a socket, knee joint, pylon and foot. The artificial prosthetic knee joint imitates the functions of human knee to achieve the flexion-extension motion of the above knee amputee. The satisfaction of the amputees with the usage of the existing artificial prosthetic knee joint is still a concern. Hence, a passive prosthetic knee joint was developed and its effect on the quality of life of trans-femoral amputee was evaluated using health related quality of life (HRQL) before and after the fixation of the prosthesis The HRQL after the fixation was found to be increased in comparison with pre-fixation stage. The global score for the prosthetic function was also found to be increased which confirmed the increased performance of the prosthesis. It is anticipated that the developed knee joint is expected to make huge impact due to its function, performance and affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In the Indian scenario, the Jaipur foot is a low-cost breakthrough that enabled the disabled person to adapt to the Indian environment. The aim of this study is to modify the present foot in terms of ankle support design and method of fabrication, foot moulds profile and the inner core material in order to improve the performance and durability.Method:The optimized design of ankle support and flat foot profile moulds suitable for both left and right foot were developed through CAD/CAM and prosthetic feet were fabricated using ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) foam as an appropriate alternative core material for microcellular rubber (MCR). The developed prosthetic feet were tested for rigidity by load-deflection analysis in universal testing machine.Result:EVA foot had shown better rigidity than conventional MCR foot, which will help in weight transfer during walking and increase the durability. The CAD modeled ankle support and single block EVA had made the manufacturing process easy and reduced the weight of foot and improved Gait to the person fitted with it due to improved flat foot profile.Conclusion:The new artificial foot had proven to be efficacious technically as well as functionally, which is clearly borne out from the extremely positive feedback given by the amputees.Implications of RehabilitationPersons with below knee amputation are usually provided with transtibial prosthesis, which allows for easier ambulation and helps them to get back to their normal life.Transtibial prosthesis is an artificial limb that replaces a lower limb that is amputated below the knee.In our study, a new prosthetic foot with a modified ankle support and flat foot profile using better inner-core material than the conventional Jaipur foot was developed and the process was also optimized for mass production. The developed prosthetic foot can be fitted with both above and below knee exoskeleton type of prosthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gait analysis is considered as the most systematic study of human motion. The analysis of gait includes visual and analytical perception of the individual, augmentation of various mechanical instrumentations for measuring movement of body, muscles activity and body mechanics. Past study focused on gait analysis of various animal locomotion and humans mainly on sports biomechanics. This paper aims to quantify the gait performance with Jaipur Knee, which is one of the most widely used prosthesis in Indian population. Gait data with Jaipur knee joint is not available till date. The proposed study targets to predict the performance of Jaipur knee joint in terms of gait symmetry with transfemoral Indian amputees. Gait symmetry may be the basis of recommendation of knee joint to prosthetic patients. This study used kinematics and kinetics parameters together to quantify the performance of Jaipur knee joint to evaluate gait symmetry. This research will be helpful for clinician to predict and further to prevent the degenerated musculoskeletal effects generally seen in unilateral transfemoral amputees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During cultural and social upheavals including manmade environmental factors like war and violence, drastic change takes place in people''s expectations, “the meaning of life” and values. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of psychiatric co morbidities in traumatic amputees in Kashmir (Indian Part). Methods: Subjects were 100 consecutive patients with traumatic limb amputation. In addition to assessments of physical factors, psychiatric interviews were administered to examine mental disorders including PTSD and major depression. Results: The prevalence rates of PTSD and major depression were 20% and 63% respectively. It was followed by impulse control disorder 19%, phantom limb phenomenon 14%, generalized anxiety disorder 10% and panic disorder 6%. Motor vehicle accident and blast injuries were cause for 53% and 11% of limb amputations respectively. Majority (45%) of them were males in age group of 15-30 years. 61% were illiterate from rural areas (81%). Discussion: These findings suggest that psychiatric co morbidity is very common in amputees. Most of the patients are males of younger age group. Major depressive disorder is the most common psychiatric co morbidity followed by anxiety disorders in which PTSD is most prevalent, followed by impulse control disorder and phantom phenomenon respectively. Individuals suffering traumatic limb loss at any age are likely to suffer subsequent difficulties with their body image, but these relationships are more striking in the younger age groups who have experienced traumatic injuries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]