Evaluation of the Biomechanics of Crowding and the Energetic Cost of Endurance Runners Unilateral Transtibial Amputees.

Evaluation of the Biomechanics of Crowding and the Energetic Cost of Endurance Runners Unilateral Transtibial Amputees According to the Stiffness of the Race-specific Prothesis.

Transtibial amputation accounts for 3,700 cases per year in France. Athletes can use sport blades made of carbon plate for improved energy restitution.

Sports blades are adjusted according to the manufacturer's recommendations and the subjective experience of the ortho-prosthetist and patient. These adjustments are designed to optimize performance and comfort while reducing the risk of injury. This risk is all the greater when asymmetries between the healthy and affected limbs are large, exposing the healthy limb to large and repeated reaction forces.

Furthermore, one of the performance criteria for long-distance running is energy cost. While a reduction in this parameter has been observed in bilateral amputees, heterogeneous data are reported in unilateral amputees, depending on the level of expertise and sports blade settings.

While studies have investigated the effects of running with a prosthesis under conditions representative of track running, few data are available on sports blades designed for long-distance running.

It therefore seems important to be able to objectively assess the effects of a change in the stiffness of the sports blade on the energetics and biomechanics of running, in order to optimize practice and prevent associated traumas.

Secondly, investigators believe it is important to verify that the biomechanical results obtained in the laboratory are applicable in the field, both on the road and on the unstable terrain encountered by trail runners.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Male or female,
• Weighing less than 110 kg, in accordance with C-blade recommendations,
• Subjects who have undergone a unilateral transtibial amputation,
• Have been running with a sports blade for at least 3 months, over several sessions of at least 3 kilometers.
• Subjects who have signed a written consent form,
• Subjects affiliated or entitled to a social security scheme.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subjects whose amputation is due to complications related to diabetes or atherosclerosis.
• Subjects with chronic or central neurological pathologies
• Subjects with cardiovascular disorders
• Subjects with alcohol or drug dependency.
• Pregnant or breast-feeding women
• Subjects under court protection.