Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Despite extensive research and rehabilitation, gait mechanics in individuals with lower-limb amputations are still significantly altered and often lead to secondary conditions such as degenerative joint diseases. Footwear has previously been shown to alter gait mechanics in sound limbs however this area has received little attention in the prosthetic limb population. Clinicians often choose a prosthetic limb based on specific functional needs however the addition of a shoe may change the mechanics so greatly that it alters the desired outcome of the prosthetic limb. My research will aim to assess the effects of common footwear on gait mechanics in lower-limb prosthetic users so that clinicians can use this information when prescribing prostheses and making recommendations for footwear. This research will be conducted with participants in a laboratory and will use ground reaction forces and limb mechanic measurements to determine the effects of various types of common footwear on gait.