Objective: Using a custom mobile application to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Component Timed-Up-and-Go test to assess prosthetic mobility in people with lower limb amputation. Design: Cross-sectional design. Setting: National conference for people with limb loss. Subjects: A total of 118 people with non-vascular cause of lower limb amputation participated. Subjects had a mean age of 48 (±13.7) years and were an average of 10 years post amputation. Of them, 54% ( n = 64) of subjects were male. Intervention: None. Main measure: The Component Timed-Up-and-Go was administered using a mobile iPad application, generating a total time to complete the test and five component times capturing each subtask (sit to stand transitions, linear gait, turning) of the standard timed-up-and-go test. The outcome underwent test–retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and convergent validity analyses through correlation with self-report measures of balance and mobility. Results: The Component Timed-Up-and-Go exhibited excellent test–retest reliability with ICCs ranging from .98 to .86 for total and component times. Evidence of discriminative validity resulted from significant differences in mean total times between people with transtibial (10.1 (SD: ±2.3)) and transfemoral (12.76 (SD: ±5.1) amputation, as well as significant differences in all five component times ( P < .05). Convergent validity of the Component Timed-Up-and-Go was demonstrated through moderate correlations with the PLUS-M ( r_s = −.56). Conclusion: The Component Timed-Up-and-Go is a reliable and valid clinical tool for detailed assessment of prosthetic mobility in people with non-vascular lower limb amputation. The iPad application provided a means to easily record data, contributing to clinical utility.

Employment status is considered a determinant of health, yet returning to work is frequently a challenge after lower limb amputation. No studies have documented if working after lower limb amputati...

To assess if evidence of disparities exists in functional recovery and social health post-lower limb amputation. Race-ethnicity, gender, and income-based group comparisons of functioning and social health in a convenience sample of lower limb prosthetic users. Prosthetic clinics in four states. A geographically diverse cohort of 56 English and Spanish speaking community-dwelling individuals with dysvascular lower limb amputation, between 18-80 years old. None. Primary outcomes included two physical performance measures, the Timed Up and Go test and 2-minute walk test, and thirdly, the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility™. The PROMIS® Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities survey measured social health. Of the study participants, 45% identified as Persons of Color, and 39% were women (mean (SD) age, 61.6 (9.8) years). People identifying as non-Hispanic White men exhibited better physical performance than Men of Color, White women, and Woman of Color by -7.86 (95% CI, -16.26 to 0.53, p=0.07), -10.34 (95% CI, -19.23 to -1.45, p=0.02), and -11.63 (95% CI, -21.61 to -1.66, p=0.02) seconds, respectively, on the TUG, and by 22.6 (95% CI, -2.31 to 47.50, p=0.09), 38.92 (95% CI, 12.53 to 65.30, p<0.01), 47.53 (95% CI, 17.93 to 77.13, p<0.01) meters, respectively, on the 2-minute walk test. Income level explained 14% and 11% of the variance in perceived mobility and social health measures, respectively. Study results suggest that sociodemographic factors of race-ethnicity, gender, and income level are associated with functioning and social health post-lower limb amputation. The clinical impact of this new knowledge lies in what it offers to healthcare practitioners who treat this patient population, in recognizing potential barriers to optimal recovery and quality of life. More work is required to assess lived experiences after amputation and provide better understanding of amputation-related health disparities.