Effect of Medial Thighplasty on Oxygen and Metabolic Consumption Rates in a Transfemoral Amputee during Sustained Overground Walking Bouts

Energy expenditure during daily physical activity is notably higher for amputees, even when using a lower limb prosthetic device, due in part to the constraints surrounding the patient-device interface. This case study tracks changes in minute by minute metabolic data during a six minute walking test pre and post-medial thighplasty in a transfemoral amputee in order to gain a better understanding of how the procedure changes the metabolic rates and energy expenditure involved in overground walking for the amputee by altering the physical relationship between the patient and the prosthetic socket. Post medial-thighplasty, the subject is able to expend less metabolic energy and consume less O₂ which is reflected in the lower cost of transport when either metric is normalized to body weight.