Yes / Walking down ramps is a demanding task for transfemoral-amputees and terminating gait on ramps is even more challenging because of the requirement to maintain a stable limb so that it can do the necessary negative mechanical work on the centre-of-mass in order to arrest (dissipate) forward/downward velocity. We determined how the use of a microprocessor-controlled limb system (simultaneous control over hydraulic resistances at ankle and knee) affected the negative mechanical work done by each limb when transfemoral-amputees terminated gait during ramp descent. Methods: Eight transfemoral-amputees completed planned gait terminations (stopping on prosthesis) on a 5-degree ramp from slow and customary walking speeds, with the limb's microprocessor active or inactive. When active the limb operated in its ‘ramp-descent’ mode and when inactive the knee and ankle devices functioned at constant default levels. Negative limb work, determined as the integral of the negative mechanical (external) limb power during the braking phase, was compared across speeds and microprocessor conditions. Findings: Negative work done by each limb increased with speed (p < 0.001), and on the prosthetic limb it was greater when the microprocessor was active compared to inactive (p = 0.004). There was no change in work done across microprocessor conditions on the intact limb (p = 0.35). Interpretation: Greater involvement of the prosthetic limb when the limb system was active indicates its ramp-descent mode effectively altered the hydraulic resistances at the ankle and knee. Findings highlight participants became more assured using their prosthetic limb to arrest centre-of-mass velocity. / ZA is funded by the Higher Committee of Education Development in IRAQ (HCED student number D13 626).

The major objective of this thesis was to investigate how the use of a recently developed microprocessor-controlled limb system altered the negative mechanical work done by the intact and prosthetic limb when trans-femoral amputees terminated gait. Participants terminated gait on a level surface from their self-selected walking speed and on declined surface from slow and customary speeds, using limb system prosthesis with microprocessor active or inactive. Limb negative work, determined as the integral of the negative mechanical (external) limb power during the braking phase, was compared across surface, speed and microprocessor conditions. Halting gait was achieved predominantly from negative work done by the trailing/intact. Trailing versus leading limb mechanical work imbalance was similar to how able body individuals halted gait. Importantly, the negative limb work performed on the prosthetic side when terminating gait on declined surface was increased when the microprocessor was active for both slow and customary speeds (no difference on level surface) but no change on intact limb. This indicates the limb system’s ‘ramp-descent mode’ effectively/dynamically altered the hydraulic resistances at the respective joints with evidence indicating changes at the ankle were the key factor for increasing the prosthetic limb negative work contribution. Findings suggest that trans-femoral amputees became more assured using their prosthetic limb to arrest body centre of mass velocity when the limb system’s microprocessor was active. More generally findings suggest, trans-femoral amputees should obtain clinically significant biomechanical benefits from using a limb system prosthesis for locomotion involving adapting to their everyday walking where adaptations to an endlessly changing environment are required. / Higher Committee of Education Development in IRAQ (HCED)