The effect of microprocessor-controlled and mechanical knee joint prostheses on mobility and quality of life in unilateral transfemoral amputees

Mobility level is considered the primary factor for determining the effectiveness of a prosthesis. This study aimed to establish whether mobility and quality of life (QoL) are improved with a microprocessor-controlled knee (MPK) compared with a non-microprocess-controlled knee (non-MPK). Participants who have undergone transfemoral amputation (TFA), aged between 20 and 60 years, and using prosthesis for at least 1 year were included in the study. Participants were divided into two groups according to the use of MPK (n = 35) and non-MPK (n = 28) prosthesis. The PLUS-M criteria was used to score mobility, while the Trinity Amputation and Prosthetic Experience Scales-TAPES was used for classifying QoL. Mobility was higher for MPK prosthesis compared with non-MPK (p < 0.05). Regarding QoL, while there was no difference between the groups for psychosocial adaptation sub-score (p > 0.05), but the group using MPK prosthesis were higher in terms of activity restriction and total TAPES score (p < 0.05). Our data shows that the type of knee joint used by participants with TFA has an effect on their QoL and mobility. Participants using MPK had better mobility, higher sub-scores related to activity restriction, and sub-scores of the QoL compared with non-MPK.