Study of Community Mobility Using Walking and Wheeled Devices in Adults With Lower Limb Amputation

What this Trial Is About

Mobility plays a crucial role in daily life by enabling social, work, and recreational activities, especially outside the home, known as community mobility. After lower limb amputation LLA, many experience lasting mobility challenges. Although rehabilitation and prosthetic training help some regain walking ability, only 25-58% achieve this, and fewer than half of those can walk well enough for community settings. Many rely on wheeled devices like wheelchairs or scooters, yet research has mostly focused on walking ability, overlooking the combined use of wheeled and ambulatory mobility. This study targets people with lower limb amputation to better understand their use of both ambulatory and wheeled mobility in community settings. Participants will first undergo clinical assessments related to their amputation and prosthetic use. They will then be given a GPS device to wear during waking hours and an activPAL accelerometer on their thigh to track movement patterns continuously for 10 to 21 days. Several questionnaires measuring quality of life, mobility, balance confidence, and cognitive status will be completed at the baseline visit. Participants will be involved in two visits one for baseline assessments and device education, and a second to collect the recorded GPS and accelerometer data. Researchers will analyze detailed mobility patterns, including distance traveled, speed, areas visited, and time spent outside the home. This data will help clarify factors affecting community mobility and inform targeted interventions. The study is expected to complete in August 2027 and includes adults aged 18 to 85 who use both prosthetics and wheeled mobility devices at least weekly.

Assessing Ambulatory and Non-ambulatory Community Mobility in People With Lower Limb Amputation