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University of Southern Mississippi

Effect of Unilateral Lower-Limb Amputation on Intact Limb Biomechanics: A Systematic Review

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

<p>The United States will perform 30,000-40,000 amputations this year (Ertl et al., 2019). As a common medical intervention, there is extensive research regarding rehabilitation strategies and post-operative care. Many studies have explored the effects of the affected limb and prosthetic intervention yet have neglected that of the contralateral limb (De Asha et al., 2014; Jones et al., 2006; Winter & Sienko, 1988). Studies have reported an increase in secondary musculoskeletal conditions among unilateral lower-limb amputees, particularly in the intact limb, indicating the need for additional research (Gailey et al., 2008). The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the research regarding the effect of unilateral lower-limb amputation on intact limb biomechanics.</p> <p>This systematic review was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards (Moher et al., 2009). All search procedures, eligibility criteria, and data extraction were defined prior to the study protocol. A comprehensive search for peer-reviewed journals was conducted through the PubMed and Cochrane Library search engines. Thirty-two articles were selected for this review, six of which stated no significant biomechanical differences between the amputees and the general population. The remaining 26 articles concluded that stability and pain avoidance strategies, asymmetric gait adaptations, atypical forces, and complex trunk movement are biomechanical compensations that contribute to secondary complications of the intact limb. Findings from this systematic review showed that pain avoidance strategies, asymmetric gait adaptations, atypical forces, and complex trunk movements contribute towards the development of secondary musculoskeletal conditions of the intact limb.</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science (MS)
Level thesis:degree_level
Masters Thesis
Year dc:date.available
2020

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Boyd, Amanda
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Joann Judge
  • Nuno Oliviera
  • Gary Krebs

Subjects

dc:subject × 15

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Repository record dc:identifier
https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/758
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:aquila.usm.edu:masters_theses-1809

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
University of Southern Mississippi
Base URL
aquila.usm.edu/do/oai/
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Boyd, Amanda. Effect of Unilateral Lower-Limb Amputation on Intact Limb Biomechanics: A Systematic Review. Masters Thesis thesis, 2020. https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/758