Life Of Amputees Research Articles

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN LOWER LIMB AMPUTEES WITH PROSTHETICS IN CHILDREN, ADOLESCENTS AND ADULTS

Background of the Study: Physical activity and exercise part of maintaining good health. Its benefits are associated with improved life quality in the physical, psychological, and social sectors. Physical exercise is therefore essential to the recovery of amputees. A person’s quality of life might suffer when a limb is amputated. The quality of life for amputees in order to improve health, though, is little understood. The primary objective of this study was to look into the quality of life and physical activity of male adults and adolescents who had lower limb prosthesis. Methodology: Lower-limb amputees participated in the cross-sectional, descriptive study. investigation.72 Adolescents (5-17 years) and male adults (18-40 years) with unilateral transtibial and transfemoral amputees participated. The World Health Organization Quality of Life scale (WHOQOL) self-administration questionnaire was used to evaluate quality of life. Whereas, to check lower extremity conditions in the participants, The Lower Extremity functionality Scale was used. Results: Low Extremity Functions had significant positive relationship with overall Quality of Life with mean 32.45±9.44 and the strength of the correlation was .24*. Moreover, components of Quality-of-Life Environmental Health and Physical Health shows significant positive relationship with Lower Extremity Functions. Physical Health and Social Relationship showed non-significant correlation with lower Extremity Function. Conclusion: It was concluded that the age group differences were not significant with the Quality of Life, Physical health, Psychological health, social relationship and environmental health. However, the results showed that the quality of life and the lower extremity functional scale had a positive relationship. If the QOL of the individual increases that LEFS also increases. The social relationships and the psychological health do not correlate with the lower extremity functions but, the physical health and the environmental health has a significant impact on it.

Neuropathic pain after major limb amputation: a cross-sectional study

Background & Objective: Residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom pain can arise following amputation and may require additional treatment or surgery. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of neuropathic RLP following limb amputation and identify prognostic factors for the development of neuropathic RLP. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed of patients who underwent upper or lower extremity amputation between 1990 and 2021 with a minimum of twelve months follow-up. The primary outcome was the prevalence of neuropathic RLP, defined as a 0-10 NRS pain score in the residual limb of ≥4, in combination with a score ≥4 on the short form DN4 questionnaire (s-DN4), validated for discriminating between nociceptive and neuropathic pain. The secondary outcome was quality of life for amputees with and without (neuropathic) RLP. A multivariable linear regression model was used to identify prognostic factors for neuropathic RLP development. Results: A total of 121 patients were included: 87 with lower extremity amputations, 29 with upper extremity amputations, and 5 with both. Neuropathic RLP was experienced by 21.5%, while 10.7% reported non-neuropathic RLP. Smoking status and Complex Regional Pain Syndrome as indication for limb amputation were associated with more severe neuropathic pain symptoms. Patients experiencing neuropathic RLP reported a significantly lower quality of life compared to patients without neuropathic RLP. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that neuropathic RLP is common after limb amputation and impacts daily functioning. The absence of numerous manageable prognostic factors associated with neuropathic pain development emphasizes the importance of the consideration of prophylactic interventions at the time of amputation.

An Evaluation of Phantom Pain among Traumatic Lower Limb Amputees in Lahore

Background: Amputation is the surgical removal of all or part of an irreparably damaged limb due to injury or disease. Trauma is the leading cause of lower limb amputation in Pakistan. Phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common and distressing complication following amputation, affecting the quality of life and functional outcomes. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to assess the occurrence and intensity of phantom limb pain in patients who had undergone lower limb amputation due to traumatic causes in Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over six months, involving 73 patients who had undergone lower limb amputation due to trauma. The study was carried out in Ghurki Trust Teaching Hospital, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, and Mayo Hospital. Patients aged 20-45 years, with amputations performed within one year, were included. Exclusion criteria were non-traumatic amputations and amputations older than one year. Non-probability convenience sampling was used. Participants were divided into three groups based on the level of amputation: hip disarticulation (n=12), transfemoral (n=28), and transtibial (n=33). Phantom limb pain was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRPS), an 11-item scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (severe pain). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25, and descriptive statistics were presented in tables and graphs. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Lahore College of Physical Therapy (ERC-LCPT/298/2019). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Results: The study found that 83.6% of the participants experienced phantom limb pain. Among the hip disarticulation group, 91.7% reported PLP, with a mean NRPS score of 7.3. In the transfemoral group, 89.3% experienced PLP, with a mean NRPS score of 6.8. In the transtibial group, 75.8% reported PLP, with a mean NRPS score of 5.4. The association between the level of amputation and the presence of PLP was significant, with p-values of 0.003 for hip disarticulation, 0.000 for transfemoral, and 0.001 for transtibial amputations. Conclusion: Phantom limb pain is a prevalent and significant issue among patients with traumatic lower limb amputations in Pakistan, with varying intensity across different levels of amputation. These findings underscore the need for targeted pain management strategies and comprehensive rehabilitation programs to address PLP and improve the quality of life for amputees.

Classification of hand and wrist movements via surface electromyogram using the random convolutional kernels transform

Prosthetic devices are vital for enhancing personal autonomy and the quality of life for amputees. However, the rejection rate for electric upper-limb prostheses remains high at around 30%, often due to issues like functionality, control, reliability, and cost. Thus, developing reliable, robust, and cost-effective human-machine interfaces is crucial for user acceptance. Machine learning algorithms using Surface Electromyography (sEMG) signal classification hold promise for natural prosthetic control. This study aims to enhance hand and wrist movement classification using sEMG signals, treated as time series data. A novel approach is employed, combining a variation of the Random Convolutional Kernel Transform (ROCKET) for feature extraction with a cross-validation ridge classifier. Traditionally, achieving high accuracy in time series classification required complex, computationally intensive methods. However, recent advances show that simple linear classifiers combined with ROCKET can achieve state-of-the-art accuracy with reduced computational complexity. The algorithm was tested on the UCI sEMG hand movement dataset, as well as on the Ninapro DB5 and DB7 datasets. We demonstrate how the proposed approach delivers high discrimination accuracy with minimal parameter tuning requirements, offering a promising solution to improve prosthetic control and user satisfaction.

A three degrees of freedom switchable impedance myoelectric prosthetic wrist

Wrist mobility contributes significantly to the execution of upper limb motor tasks. Despite this, current prosthetic wrists are far less advanced than other artificial joints. Typically, prosthetic wrists offer limited degrees of freedom, if any, which forces users to execute compensatory movements during task performance. This addition increases weight and complexity, two unwelcome factors in upper limb prostheses. This article presents the design of a 3-degree-of-freedom friction-lockable prosthetic wrist actuated by a single motor. The design features adaptable behavior when unlocked, promoting a gentle interaction with the environment, and enables users to adjust the hand configuration during pre-grasping phases. The proposed system was tested, combined with a hand prosthesis, and compared to a commercial rotational wrist during the execution of functional movements. Experiments involved nine able-bodied subjects and one prosthesis user. Participants also performed the experiments with their biological wrist (the intact wrist for the prosthesis user) as a control. Results showed that the lockable wrist was used actively 20% more often than the commercial solution without compromising users’ execution time. Interaction tests reveal that compensatory movements are reduced when using the proposed design, resulting in closer resemblance to the control wrist’s performance. The average satisfaction and usability scores were significantly higher for the proposed wrist, indicating its potential acceptance. Finally, the system was validated in a set of activities of daily living performed by the prosthesis user. The study contributes to the development of more intuitive and adaptable prostheses that can improve the quality of life of amputees.

Non-back-drivable clutch based self-locking mechanism of prosthetic joint to improve manipulation stability.

During activities of daily living (ADLs), the wrist is mainly engaged in positioning and directing the hand. Researches have demonstrated that restoring wrist mobility can significantly enhance the manipulation ability, reduce body distortion caused by motion compensation, and improve the quality of life for amputees. However, most daily activities, particularly the delicate ones, place high demands on the ability of wrist to maintain a certain rotation angle, also known as non-back-drivable ability, which poses a challenge to the design of prosthetic wrists. To address this issue, various solutions have been proposed, including motor holding brakes, high reduction ratio reducers, and worm gears. However, the motor holding brake only functions after a power outage and cannot continuously prevent torque from the load end. The latter two solutions may alter the transmission ratio, resulting in reduced movement speed and transmission efficiency. Therefore, how to design a miniaturized non-back-drivable mechanism without changing the transmission ratio so that the forearm rotational freedom can be locked at any position for any duration is a problem to be solved in the research of prosthetic wrist designs. This paper presents a line-contact based non-back-drivable clutch (NBDC) that does not cause changes in the transmission ratio, ensuring the motion performance of the prosthetic limb. At the same time, it does not introduce additional friction in the forward transmission process, guaranteeing the overall efficiency. Most importantly, it only allows the torque transmitting from the motor to the load, prevents the load reversely from driving back even in a power failure condition, significantly improving the stability, safety, and comfort. Detailed kinematic and static analyses of the working process has been conducted, and transient dynamics simulation has been performed to verify its effectiveness. Through experiments, it is demonstrated that the self-locking torque of the output end could reach approximately 600Nmm, and the unlocking torque of the input end is about 80Nmm, which can be effectively integrated in prosthetic wrist rotation joints, contributing to the performance, safety and energy saving of prosthetic joint systems.

Design and optimization of a new integrated hip and knee prosthesis structure.

Conventional hip disarticulation prostheses (HDPs) are passive devices with separate joint structures, limiting amputees' ability to control and resulting in abnormal gait patterns. This study introduces a new HDP integrating the hip and knee joints for amputees' natural gait. The new HDP restores the physiological rotation center of the hip with a remote center of motion (RCM) structure, and simulates the knee motion with a four-bar structure. Nonlinear programming was employed to optimize the hip-knee joint structure. A hybrid multi-objective drive structure with a series-parallel connection was also designed to ensure motion synergy between the hip and knee joints. Finally, a prototype of the prosthesis was tested using the HDP test system. The optimization results demonstrate that the new HDP accurately restores the rotation center of the femur in amputees, with the knee's instantaneous center of rotation (ICR) trajectory closely resembling that of the human knee (Pearson correlation coefficient is 0.999). The study shows that the new HDP achieves a motion reproduction accuracy of over 95% for the human hip joint at walking speeds above 1.5 km/h, 38% higher than conventional prosthesis. Similarly, at the same walking speed, the new HDP replicates the motion of the human knee at 82.89%, surpassing conventional prosthesis by 57.85%. The new HDP restores symmetry and replicates synergistic movement in amputees' lower limbs, exhibiting superior movement characteristics compared to conventional prostheses. This innovative HDP has the potential to enhance the quality of life for amputees.

Phantom Limb Pain and Painful Neuroma After Dysvascular Lower-Extremity Amputation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Phantom limb pain (PLP) and symptomatic neuroma can be debilitating and significantly impact the quality of life of amputees. However, the prevalence of PLP and symptomatic neuromas in patients following dysvascular lower limb amputation (LLA) has not been reliably established. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the prevalence and incidence of phantom limb pain and symptomatic neuroma after dysvascular LLA. Four databases (Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central, and Web of Science) were searched on October 5th, 2022. Prospective or retrospective observational cohort studies or cross-sectional studies reporting either the prevalence or incidence of phantom limb pain and/or symptomatic neuroma following dysvascular LLA were identified. Two reviewers independently conducted the screening, data extraction, and the risk of bias assessment according to the PRISMA guidelines. To estimate the prevalence of phantom limb pain, a meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed. Twelve articles were included in the quantitative analysis, including 1924 amputees. A meta-analysis demonstrated that 69% of patients after dysvascular LLA experience phantom limb pain (95% CI 53-86%). The reported pain intensity on a scale from 0-10 in LLA patients ranged between 2.3 ± 1.4 and 5.5 ± .7. A single study reported an incidence of symptomatic neuroma following dysvascular LLA of 5%. This meta-analysis demonstrates the high prevalence of phantom limb pain after dysvascular LLA. Given the often prolonged and disabling nature of neuropathic pain and the difficulties managing it, more consideration needs to be given to strategies to prevent it at the time of amputation.

Interface Technologies applied for bionic prosthetic limbs

For a very long time, people have wished for a way to repair a broken limb and make it work again. The limbs are responsible for the vast majority of human movement, grasping, and other actions. If you lose them, your mental and physical health will suffer drastically. The quality of life for amputees continues to improve as new and better prosthetics are developed thanks to advancements in technology. Effective use of prostheses requires that they be at-tached to the user's natural body in some way. The development of prosthetic limbs, therefore, relies heavily on the findings of studies examining prosthetic limb interfaces. This paper pro-vides a summary of the research conducted on prosthetic interface technologies since 1985 through a method of literature review. The purpose of this paper is to provide a concise over-view of the current technologies employed in the field of prosthetic interfaces and to specu-late on the direction of future research and development in this area.

DDPG-based controlling algorithm for upper limb prosthetic shoulder joint

ABSTRACT The development of intelligent prostheses has effectively improved the life of amputees. However, the current prosthetics mainly focus on restoring the basic mobility of amputees, without considering the use habits of the wearer and the diversity of arm movements, which makes the unknown interference and complex control requirements in daily life an obstacle to the use of prosthetics. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a combination method of adaptive control algorithms of bionic arm shoulder joint based on DDPG to realise intelligent control of the shoulder joint of upper limb prosthesis. Based on using adaptive control to reduce the interference of external variables, the accuracy of the joint module system is improved through reinforcement learning. The results show that the controller has a good effect on improving the dynamic performance of the mechanical system and can be widely used in bionic mechanical control.

Differential Cortical Oscillatory Patterns in Amputees With and Without Phantom Limb Pain.

Phantom limb pain (PLP) as neuropathic pain affects the life of amputees. It is believed an efficient PLP treatment should consider the underlying neurological mechanisms. Hereby, we investigated brain activity in PLP and its relationships to the psychological and cognitive dimensions of chronic pain. We investigate differences in resting brain activities between amputees with and without pain. We hypothesize significant differences in the motor cortex and parietal cortex activity that are related to pain perception. Also, we hypothesize two groups have significant differences in cognitive and psychological components. Behavioral assessment (psychological status, life satisfaction, and pain level) and EEG signals of 19 amputees (12 without pain and 7 with pain) were recorded. Data were statistically compared between the two groups. Also, the association between behavioral and neurophysiological data was computed. The results showed a significant decrease in the pain group for the beta and gamma waves, as well as, for the theta and delta waves in the posterior temporal on both sides, during the eye-open condition. The eyes-closed condition showed that the delta waves were decreased on the right side of the cortex. Also, data showed a significant difference in the correlation of pain features with brain waves between the two groups. Significant differences were mostly observed in regions related to pain perception rather than the motor cortex. This can be due to the learned strategies to deal with pain and the degree of pain. Results showed maladaptive cognitive processes had a relationship with brain wave activities. According to the result of brain wave activities, it seems that cognitive factors have a role in the experience of PLP rather than neuroplasticity through amputation. Differences found in the parietal and temporal regions of phantom limb pain's (PLP's) suggests cognition's role in the persistence of PLP.Decreased delta power at the posterior temporal cortex in PLP's could be the focus of treatments.Increased activity of the parietal cortex could be helpful in the treatment of PLP's. PLP is an annoying neurologic pain. A wide range of treatments have focused on this type of pain but couldn't be effective. Recently, researchers suggest BCI-based treatments for better treatment. For this type of treatment, we should know the neurological aspect of PLP. In most studies to investigate or treatment of neurological aspects of PLP, researchers induced pain experimentally or studied acute phantom limb pain. We believed for a better understanding of PLP, should investigate it in a natural and stabilized position. Therefore we studied brain activities in amputees with and without PLP in a resting state to find out differences. Trends in this field express the alpha band differences in the motor cortex. On the contrary, our results showed the most significant difference in high-frequency bandpasses such as beta and gamma. Also, in our study, it seems the parietal and temporal cortex that are related to pain perception is the more relevant to PLP. This study showed a psycho-cognitive aspect of pain such as pain exaggeration has a relation with PLP's brain wave activities. So, we can suggest rather than neuroplasticity through amputation, cognitive factors have a role in the experience of PLP.

Electrical nerve stimulation for sensory-neural pathway reconstruction in upper-limb amputees.

The loss of the neural sensory function pathways between the stump limbs and the brain greatly impacts the rehabilitation of limb function and the daily lives of amputees. Non-invasive physical stressors, such as mechanical pressure and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), could be potential solutions for recovering somatic sensations in amputees. Previous studies have shown that stimulating the residual or regenerated nerves in the stumps of some amputees can produce phantom hand sensations. However, the results are inconclusive due to unstable physiological responses caused by inaccurate stimulus parameters and positions. In this study, we developed an optimal TENS strategy by mapping the distribution of the nerves in the stump skin that elicitsphantom sensations known as a "phantom hand map." We evaluated the effectiveness and stability of the confirmed stimulus configuration in a long-term experiment using single- and multi-stimulus paradigms. Additionally, we evaluated the evoked sensations by recording electroencephalograms (EEG) and analyzing brain activities. The results demonstrated that various types of intuitive sensations for amputees could be stably induced by adjusting TENS frequencies, particularly at 5 and 50 Hz. At these frequencies, 100% stability of sensory types was achieved when the stimuli were applied to two specific locations on the stump skin. Furthermore, at these locations, the stability of sensory positions was 100% across different days. Moreover, the evoked sensations were objectively supported by specific patterns of event-related potentials in brain responses. This study provides an effective method for developing and evaluating physical stressor stimulus strategies, which could play an important role in the somatosensory rehabilitation of amputees and other patients suffering from somatomotor sensory dysfunction. The paradigm developed in this study can provide effective guidelines for stimulus parameters in physical and electrical nerve stimulation treatments for a variety of symptoms related to neurological disorders.

Endo-exoprótese bilateral fixa em fêmur de felino - relato de caso

ABSTRACT The use of endo-exo prosthesis is an alternative to improve the quality of life of amputees, allowing correct distribution of body weight, reducing skin problems and pain related to the implant, and reducing lameness. The aim of this paper is to report the use of a fixed bilateral endo-exo femur prostheses in a cat with amputation prior to treatment. The endoprostheses were made with titanium and the exoprostheses were made with 3D printing technology. A longitudinal craniolateral surgical approach was used and the skin incision was made over the knee-joint, then fascia lata incision, followed by biceps femoris and vastus lateralis muscles retraction, incision through the joint capsule to expose the tibiofemoral joint, disarticulation, and tibia and fibula removal. Afterwards, a femoral leveling osteotomy and insertion of the implant in the medullary canal were performed, being attached in the cis and trans cortical bone. The patient was evaluated in the immediate post-operative and periodically thereafter, showing satisfactory results, without macroscopic signs of rejection, wound dehiscence or infection, fracture, or injury of limbs, and presented adapted walking. Furthermore, it was observed the return to common behaviors for the species.

Quality of Life and Life after Amputation among Amputees in Lagos, Nigeria.

Amputation is a life-changing surgical procedure that can cause significant disruptions in the quality of life of an individual. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of patients with limb amputations in Lagos. This was a cross-sectional study carried out among amputees recruited from two tertiary institutions and roadsides in Lagos state. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on demography, medical history, and postamputation health status. Also, a short form (SF-12V2) health questionnaire was used to assess their quality of life. Two hundred and fifty-four (254) subjects with extremity amputation, aged 18-75 years with a mean age of 47.82 ± 11.53 years were studied. The male-to-female ratio was 1.4:1. The commonest age group of the amputees was 45-60 years (52%). The commonest indication for amputation was diabetic gangrene (126 [49.6%]) and trauma (90 [35.4%]). Postamputation, 98 (38%) were employed, and 117 (75%) of those unemployed resorted to begging as a means of livelihood. While 57 (22.4%) used prostheses frequently, 68 (26%) did not want prostheses as they supposed that it negatively affected their begging business. Female amputees have a statistically significantly better quality of life than males in the physical (r = 0.03) and mental components (r = 0.04). A proper rehabilitation program, the use of prostheses, and adequate employment opportunities would improve the quality of life of amputees.

Prosthetic finger for fingertip tactile sensing via flexible chromatic optical waveguides.

Building prosthetics indistinguishable from human limbs to accurately receive and transmit sensory information to users not only promises to radically improve the lives of amputees, but also shows potential in a range of robotic applications. Currently, a mainstream approach is to embed electrical or optical sensors with force/thermal sensing functions on the surface or inside of prosthetic fingers. Compared with electrical sensing technologies, tactile sensors based on stretchable optical waveguides have the advantages of easy fabrication, chemical safety, environmental stability, and compatibility with prosthetic structural materials. However, so far, research has mainly focused on the perception of finger joint motion or external press, and there is still a lack of study on optical sensors with fingertip tactile capabilities (such as texture, hardness, slip detection, etc.). Here we report a 3D printing prosthetic finger with flexible chromatic optical waveguides implanted at the fingertip. The finger achieves distributed displacement/force sensing detection, and exhibits high sensitivity, fast response and good stability. The finger can be used to conduct active sensory experiments, and the detection parameters include object contour, hardness, slip direction and speed, temperature, etc. Finally, exploratory research on identifying and manipulating objects is carried out with this finger. The developed prosthetic finger can artificially recreate touch perception and realize complex functions such as note-writing analysis and braille recognition.

An EMG-driven musculoskeletal model for estimation of wrist kinematics using mirrored bilateral movement

Myoelectric control methods aim at driving electric prostheses in restoring functionality in daily life for amputees. To achieve the simultaneous and proportional estimation of multiple kinematics of the wrist joint, model-free approaches are broadly developed but rely on the abundant training data and the numerical functions that omit neuro-mechanical transformation. The musculoskeletal model-based approach entails the underlying muscular transformation from neuro-commands to the limb motion. However, the model-based approach for simultaneous kinematics estimation of the distal joint, i.e., wrist joint, is often overlooked. This paper proposes an electromyography (EMG)-driven musculoskeletal model to estimate the wrist joint kinematics involving wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation. The proposed approach computes the internal force/joint torque and integrates the wrist kinematics using the forward dynamics. The mirrored bilateral movements are utilised to optimise the internal physiological parameters, which improve the feasibility for the practical application of myoelectric control for the unilateral transradial amputee. Experiments are conducted on six able-bodied subjects, involving a series of wrist movements in free space. Results demonstrate the proposed model-based approach provides high estimation accuracy in the contralateral case with mean coefficient of determination of 0.86 and 0.82 for wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation, respectively. The proposed approach and setup give reliable and feasible meaning for the simultaneous and proportional control of multiple wrist kinematics.

A lightweight robotic leg prosthesis replicating the biomechanics of the knee, ankle, and toe joint.

Robotic leg prostheses promise to improve the mobility and quality of life of millions of individuals with lower-limb amputations by imitating the biomechanics of the missing biological leg. Unfortunately, existing powered prostheses are much heavier and bigger and have shorter battery life than conventional passive prostheses, severely limiting their clinical viability and utility in the daily life of amputees. Here, we present a robotic leg prosthesis that replicates the key biomechanical functions of the biological knee, ankle, and toe in the sagittal plane while matching the weight, size, and battery life of conventional microprocessor-controlled prostheses. The powered knee joint uses a unique torque-sensitive mechanism combining the benefits of elastic actuators with that of variable transmissions. A single actuator powers the ankle and toe joints through a compliant, underactuated mechanism. Because the biological toe dissipates energy while the biological ankle injects energy into the gait cycle, this underactuated system regenerates substantial mechanical energy and replicates the key biomechanical functions of the ankle/foot complex during walking. A compact prosthesis frame encloses all mechanical and electrical components for increased robustness and efficiency. Preclinical tests with three individuals with above-knee amputation show that the proposed robotic leg prosthesis allows for common ambulation activities with close to normative kinematics and kinetics. Using an optional passive mode, users can walk on level ground indefinitely without charging the battery, which has not been shown with any other powered or microprocessor-controlled prostheses. A prosthesis with these characteristics has the potential to improve real-world mobility in individuals with above-knee amputation.

Life of an amputee: predictors of quality of life after lower limb amputation.

Lower limb amputations (LLA) have asignificant impact on global morbidity. Approximately 2million people are living with lower limb amputation in the United States and this figure is expected to rise. LLA lead to physical disabilities and can cause restriction in functionalities in the everyday life of amputees. Patients lose their independence, which can be very debilitating and eventually causes physical, behavioral, and psychical changes. These changes after amputations should be properly addressed and must be incorporated into rehabilitation to improve and regain better adjustment to life among amputees. This article focuses on determining various factors and their effect on quality of life after lower limb amputations.

Improving the Robustness and Adaptability of sEMG-Based Pattern Recognition Using Deep Domain Adaptation.

The pattern recognition (PR) based on surface electromyography (sEMG) could improve the quality of daily life of amputees. However, the lack of robustness and adaptability hinders its practical application. To realize the long-term reliability and user adaptability simultaneously, a novel multi-task dual-stream supervised domain adaptation (MDSDA) network based on convolutional neural network (CNN) was proposed. A long-term multi-subject sEMG signal acquisition was conducted to validate the performance of MDSDA, recruiting 12 able-bodied subjects. A total of thirty gestures were used for the acquisition, including one set of static gestures and two sets of dynamic gestures. The long-term multi-subject sEMG dataset is publicly available at the website. Four train-test estimations were designed to evaluate the robustness and adaptability of MDSDA. The results showed that MDSDA outperformed CNN and fune-tuning. Furthermore, we studied the divisibility between static and dynamic gestures that performed similar actions. The outcomes demonstrated that there existed high separability between them. This may be helpful to reduce the signal collection burden. Experimental results proved MDSDA has the potential to provide a robust and generalized PR system for the clinic applications.

REVIEW ON RECENT ADVANCEMENTS IN BIONICARM

Bionic arm has been a prime example of bending technology to improve the lives of amputees. This paper aims to study bionic arm and its developments through the years. The paper primarily focuses on the ‘mechanical-human spectrum’ and its implications on the feasibility of the arm. This paper also highlights the various actuation systems used in practice which are a key component of the arm. When feedback is provided to any system its performance is enhanced, this is also true in case of the arm and the paper describes all aspects related to it