| Summary: | In North America and Europe, the elderly represent the largest percentage of individuals with a below the knee amputation. The purpose of this thesis was to compare two types of prosthetic feet, the Solid Ankle Cushion Heel (SACH) foot and the Seattle Light (SEAT-L) foot in a group of elderly unilateral below knee amputees (EBKA) during walking at a natural cadence. Ten EBKA aged 70.4 « 9.5 years and 18 healthy elderly (HE) subjects aged 70.8 « 7.0 years participated in this study; selection criteria required that the EBKA demonstrate sufficient locomotor potential in order to benefit from the SEAT-L foot's energy return capability. The EBKA underwent an initial gait evaluation with the SACH foot, this was followed by an eight session gait retraining program specific to the SEAT-L foot. Upon completion of the gait program, the EBKA underwent a final gait evaluation with the SEAT-L foot. In order to serve as a reference group, the 18 HE subject's gait was also evaluated once."--Résumé abrégé par UMI.
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