Introduction: The risk of accidental falls is greater in people with lower-limb loss than in their able-bodied peers. Most popular strategies to mitigate injuries from such falls include technical solutions that prevent falls or protect vulnerable body segments from destructive forces. Fall training is another effective intervention, but little evidence on its use in prosthesis users has been published. This research had the goal to investigate to what extent fall training is provided to the target population and what factors may be obstacles to its wider adoption.
Methods: An online questionnaire was developed and administered nationwide, targeting people with lower-limb loss. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the availability of fall training, and a logistic regression was performed to investigate variables that predict whether an individual receives fall training or not.
Results: A total of 180 responses was recorded, 166 of which were included in the analysis. More than two-thirds of respondents had not received fall training. Those who had physical therapy as part of their rehabilitation regimen were 3.7 times more likely to also have had fall training.
Discussion: Our data suggest that the potential benefits of providing fall training to people with lower-limb loss are not being fully realized. Interdisciplinary collaboration between prosthetists and therapists can help expand access to fall training interventions to better prepare patients for the likely event of an accidental fall. (J Prosthet Orthot. 2022;34:135–139)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are a leading cause of fatal injury in older adults. One in four able-bodied adults older than 65 years fall every year. These falls can be triggered by a multitude of factors, including medical emergencies, such as a stroke or heart attack, or simply obstructions (uneven terrain, rugs, fallen objects) in the person’s path. It is no surprise that the risk of falls is higher in people with lower-limb loss. It was found that more than 52% of this population experience at least one fall every year, over twice the rate of able-bodied elderly individuals. The study also found that transfemoral limb loss is associated with greater fall risk than transtibial limb loss and that people who have had their prosthesis for less than 4 years were at a greater fall risk than those who have had it for over 4 years.