Current and Emerging Trends in the Management of Fall Risk in People with Lower Limb Amputation

Sheila Clemens, Charissa Doerger, Szu Ping Lee

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose of Review: People living with lower limb amputation are at an increased risk of falling compared with the healthy geriatric population. Factors of increased age and increased number of comorbidities could compound the already increased risk. The purpose of this article is to highlight recent research associated with fall risk in amputees and provide the reader with evidence to help guide clinical interventions. Recent Findings: Though research on the topic of falls in people with amputation is becoming more common, there is still a dearth of evidence regarding what contributes to increased fall risk and how to address it in this population. There are recent studies that have examined therapy and prosthetic interventions that could mitigate fall risk in people with amputation, yet there is not enough evidence to develop a consensus on the topic. More research is required to determine what contributes to increased fall rates in people with amputation, and what detriments to an amputee’s function or psyche may result after incurring a fall. Summary: Borrowing from what is known about geriatric fall risk and combining the information with novel and existing approaches to fall mitigation in amputees can offer clinicians the opportunity to develop evidence-based programs to address fall risk in their patients with lower limb amputation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)134-141
Number of pages8
JournalCurrent Geriatrics Reports
Volume9
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2020

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

Keywords

  • Amputation
  • Fall risk
  • Limb loss
  • Prosthetics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geriatrics and Gerontology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Current and Emerging Trends in the Management of Fall Risk in People with Lower Limb Amputation'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this