Abstract
Currently, there are a large number of lower limb prostheses offered the world over, and a significant percentage of them do not act effectively. This is the first book, which systematically guides through a process of developing artificial joints, in which functionality is based on application of fundamental biomechanical principles. Dr Pitkin’s monograph is an exemplary collection of results from his research and others, presented in its clinical and applied biomechanics form. Despite its small size, the textbook delivers an excellent overview of the various facets of lower limb prosthetic design and engineering. It can be useful to the professionals who develop the prostheses and who prescribe them.
A designer willing to work in the field of prosthetic rehabilitation will be convincingly equipped with the biomechanical arguments about a need to mimic relative rolling seen in joints of sound people (Chapter 1) as a means to reproduce a nonlinear moment of resistance which characterizes the normal gait (Chapters 2 and 3).
A novel approach to anthropomorphicity of lower limb prostheses is connected to the author’s theory of ballistic synergy in normal gait and gait with prosthesis (Chapter 3). The reader is able to follow the flow of ideas and data analysis resulting in a new prosthesis (Chapters 4–5). It has been demonstrated that focused synthesis of prosthetic joints (Chapter 4) could decrease excessive forces on amputee’s residuum bringing the prosthetic synergy close to the normal one.
Chapter 6 is devoted to the author’s original concept of antiresonance, being formulated as “Principle of spectral reciprocity in biomechanics of locomotion.” As Dr Pitkin’s other ideas, this one will seem obvious, but only after you become familiar with his reasoning and proofs.
Chapter 7 considers the requirements to the lower limb prostheses to be directly attached to the residuum in contrast with the traditional residuum–socket attachment. With the fast growing attention to the direct skeletal attachment technology, and the gained experience in its pitfalls and side effects, a need to minimize the bending moment applied to the bone–pylon interface becomes of great importance. It has been demonstrated that having a prosthetic joint with a desired anthropomorphic mechanical outcome (Chapter 5), the bending moment could be made the least damaging to the hosting bone.
One more invaluable feature of this work is the techniques and methods to evaluate the performance of individual components of a prosthesis and the performance of the prosthesis with its user. The methods and interpretation of the data are described in enough detail for appreciation of their value and their relative importance in defining functional outcomes.
The outline of the prosthetic design presented in the book can be applied to the construction of any new limb prosthesis. The monograph by Professor Pitkin already has been and will be a must component of the curriculum in biomechanics, rehabilitation and prosthetics as an important source of ideas and methodology, especially for young devoted professionals.