Reaching Milestones for Transtibial Amputees
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The impact of PPAM aid use in reaching rehabilitation milestones in physiotherapy management of unilateral trans-tibial amputees: A retrospective analysis
IRAS ID
274199
Contact name
Julia Lee
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Glasgow Caledonian University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 5 days
Research summary
Early walking aids are a key component to amputee rehabilitation and the most commonly used in transtibial or below knee amputation is the pneumatic post-amputation mobility aid (PPAM aid), which has been found to promote wound healing and prepare the stump for prosthetic limb fitting. The guidelines for amputee rehabilitation recommend the use of the PPAM aid in treatment and assessment, but there are no recommendations regarding the timing, prescription, and application of the aids. While the use of the PPAM aid is supported by physiotherapists, evidence for this practice is limited and little has been done to examine the effectiveness of the intervention. Determining how the PPAM aid is currently being used and how it effects the rehabilitation time of patients will allow for initial conclusions to be drawn that define and amend the guidelines for practice and improve patient outcomes.
This study in the area of prosthetics and rehabilitation of amputees will occur as a retrospective analysis of participant’s physiotherapy and medical notes. This analysis will collect data on the use of the early walking aid the PPAM aid and explore if how often it is used impacts the time to reach inpatient and outpatient discharge, as well as other post-operative milestones. Participants included in this analysis will have undergone unilateral transtibial amputation and have been fitted for a prosthetic limb in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde between January 2017 and December 2018. The study will be conducted over 7 months at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Glasgow Caledonian University.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
20/ES/0002
Date of REC Opinion
6 Feb 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion