In Brief:
Although the design and use of prostheses have improved during the past 10 years, problems with energy expenditure still affect the gait of amputee patients. Realtime visual feedback (RTVF) has been shown to have an immediate effect on gait symmetry, although the effect on energy consumption was not measured. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that as amputees walk more symmetrically with the aid of RTVF, there will be a reduction in their oxygen consumption. The conclusion from these data is that RTVF not only results in an immediate improvement in symmetry, but there are also concomitant reductions in heart rate and oxygen consumption while walking at a steady pace on a treadmill. This implies that RTVF may serve as a useful aid in the successful rehabilitation of amputee patients.
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