Identifying fallers from non fallers who use lower-limb prosthetic limbs

More than 52% of individuals using lower-limb prostheses fall yearly, yet fall risk screening remains inadequate. While gait asymmetry has been linked to falls in stroke patients, its role in prosthesis users is unclear.  A study in which Cody L. McDonald, PhD, MPH, L/CPO, an assistant professor of rehabilitation from the University of Washington, contributed along with colleagues from other universities, investigated whether gait asymmetry could distinguish fallers from non-fallers. 

Results showed that gait asymmetry was not a significant indicator of fall risk. However, according to the study, the Four Square Step Test (FSST) cutoff time may be useful in distinguishing fallers from non fallers in unilateral lower-limb prosthesis users. The Four Square Step Test (FSST) is used to assess dynamic stability and coordination. It looks at the ability of the subject to step over low objects forward, sideways, and backward. The study is online now in the National Library of Medicine.