Sport prostheses and prosthetic adaptations for the upper and lower limb amputees: an overview of peer reviewed literature

Background: Sport prostheses are used by both upper- and lower-limb amputees while participating in sports and other physical activities. Although the number of these devices has increased over the past decade, no overview of the peer reviewed literature describing them has been published previously. Such an overview will allow specialists to choose appropriate prostheses based on available scientific evidence rather than on personal experience or preference. Objective: To provide an overview of the sport prostheses as they are described by the papers published in peer reviewed literature. Study Design: Literature review. Methods: Four electronic databases were searched using free text and Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms. Papers were included if they concerned a prosthesis or a prosthetic adaptation used in sports. Papers were excluded if they did not originate from peer reviewed sources, if they concerned prostheses for body parts other than the upper or lower limbs, if they concerned amputations distal to the wrist or ankle, or if they were written in a language other than English. Results: Twenty-four papers were included in this study. The vast majority contained descriptive data and consisted of expert opinions and technical notes. Conclusion: Data concerning the energy efficiency, technical characteristics and special mechanical properties of prostheses or prosthetic adaptations for sports, other than running, are scarce. Clinical relevance An overview of the peer reviewed literature will enable rehabilitation specialists working with amputees to choose a prosthesis that best suits their patients' expectations on the available scientific evidence. Identifying the information gaps present in the peer reviewed literature will stimulate new research and eventually broaden the base of scientific knowledge