Hsu M, Nielsen DH, Lin S, Yack J; Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA. mjhsu@ym.edu.tw.

PURPOSE: Improvement in quality of life is an important factor to consider when evaluating the efficacy of different types of prosthetic feet. A recently designed prosthesis evaluation questionnaire (PEQ) may be useful in assessing foottype differences. However, no research has been done to substantiate this conjecture. The purpose of this study was to evaluate foottype differences in quality of life on two energy-storing prosthetic feet, the Flex-Foot (FF) and the Otto Bock 1C40 C-Walk (C-Walk), and a conventional static foot, the Solid Ankle Cushion Heel (SACH), by using two questionnaires, the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the PEQ. SUBJECTS: Eight males (age: 36 ± 15 years old; height: 1.75 ± 0.06 m; body weight: 81.71 ± 9.64 kg; prosthesis experience: 16.6 ± 17.9 years) with unilateral transtibial amputation participated in this study. METHODS: A preliminary session and three test sessions following one-month acclimation periods with each foottype were required. During each test session, subjects responded to the PEQ and the SF-36 based on their personal use with the specific test prosthetic foot. ANALYSIS: The group means and standard deviations for each scale of the SF-36 and the PEQ for subjects with the FF, C-Walk, and the SACH were calculated. One-way ANOVA with Tukey-Kramer follow-up tests were employed to analyze foottype differences. RESULTS: Generally, the FF and the C-Walk appeared to have better scores compared to the SACH for each scale of the SF-36. However, no significant foottype differences were found. The PEQ showed similar results, however, significant foottype differences were found for the Frustration (FR) and the Usefulness (UF) scales. For the FR, the FF got significantly better scores than the SACH. For the UF, the C-Walk and the FF got significantly better scores than the SACH. CONCLUSION: The SF-36 appeared to be less discriminating than the PEQ for evaluating prosthesis-related quality of life. Based on the significant foottype differences seen on the PEQ scales, the results suggested that the subjects were more comfortable during standing and walking with the FF and the C-Walk, compared to the SACH. FUNDING SOURCE: Otto-Bock Orthopedic Industry, Minneapolis, USA.

Copyright 2004 by the American Physical Therapy Association

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