Individuals with transfemoral lower limb amputations walk with adapted gait. These kinetic and
kinematic compensatory strategies will manifest as differences in muscle recruitment patterns. It is
important to characterize these differences to understand the reduced endurance, reduced
functionality, and progression of co-morbidities in this population. This study aims to characterize
muscle recruitment during gait of highly functional individuals with traumatic transfemoral
amputations donning state-of-the-art prosthetics compared to able-bodied controls.
Inverse dynamic and static optimisation methods of musculoskeletal modelling were used to quantify
muscle forces of the residual and intact limb over a gait cycle for 11 individuals with traumatic
transfemoral amputation and for 11 able-bodied controls. Estimates of peak muscle activation and
impulse were calculated to assess contraction intensity and energy expenditure. The generalized
estimation equation method was used to compare the maximum values of force, peak activation, and
impulse of the major muscles.
The force exhibited by the residual limb’s iliacus, psoas major, adductor longus, tensor fasciae latae
and pectineus is significantly higher than the forces in these muscles of the intact contralateral limb
group and the able-bodied control group (p < 0.001). These muscles appear to be recruited for their
flexor moment arm, indicative of the increased demand due to the loss of the plantar flexors. The
major hip extensors are recruited to a lesser degree in the residual limb group compared to the intact
limb group (p < 0.001). The plantar flexors of the intact limb appear to compensate for the amputated
limb with significantly higher forces compared to the able-bodied controls (p = 0.01). Significant
differences found in impulse and peak activation consisted of higher values for the limbs (residual
and/or intact) of individuals with transfemoral lower limb amputations compared to the able-bodied
controls, demonstrating an elevated cost of gait.
This study highlights asymmetry in hip muscle recruitment between the residual and the intact limb of
individuals with transfemoral lower limb amputations. Overall elevated impulse and peak activation
in the limbs of individuals with transfemoral amputation, compared to able-bodied controls, may
manifest in the reduced walking endurance of this population. This demand should be minimised in
rehabilitation protocols.