Abstract
The suspension system and socket fitting of artificial limbs have major roles and vital effects on the comfort, mobility, and satisfaction of amputees. This paper introduces a new pneumatic suspension system that overcomes the drawbacks of current suspension systems in donning and doffing, change in volume during daily activities, and pressure distribution in the socket-stump interface. An air pneumatic suspension system (APSS) for total-contact sockets was designed and developed. Pistoning and pressure distribution in the socket-stump interface were tested for the new APSS. More than 95% of the area between each prosthetic socket and liner was measured using a Tekscan F-Scan pressure measurement which has developed matrix-based pressure sensing systems. The variance in pressure around the stump was 8.76 kPa. APSS exhibits less pressure concentration around the stump, improved pressure distribution, easy donning and doffing, adjustability to remain fitted to the socket during daily activities, and more adaptability to the changes in stump volume. The volume changes were adjusted by utility of air pressure sensor. The vertical displacement point and reliability of suspension were assessed using a photographic method. The optimum pressure in every level of loading weight was 55 kPa, and the maximum displacement was 6 mm when 90 N of weight was loaded.
Highlights
Artificial limbs enable amputees to engage in normal daily activities
The applicability of the air pneumatic suspension system (APSS) was evaluated by assessing the amount of pistoning
External weight was applied on the artificial limb, and pistoning was measured for different cases
Summary
Artificial limbs enable amputees to engage in normal daily activities. The suspension system in lower limb prostheses has a vital role in prosthetic function [1,2,3,4,5]. Several systems are employed to secure the stump inside a socket and connect the suspension system to the pylon (adaptor) and the foot. These systems include the belt and suprapatellar cuff [6], figure-of-8 belt [7], sleeve suspension [8], supracondylar-suprapatellar suspension [9], supracondylar suspension, thigh corset silicon liner suspension, and distal locking pin, lanyard, and suction suspension [10,11]. Modern biofeedback and pressure measurement instruments are used to record the most effective pressure under dynamic and static conditions [12,13,14] Several techniques such as computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacture, and finite element method are used to gain more information and reduce the fabrication time of sockets [15,16,17]
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