The postural control and vibration sensation in transtibial amputation

Proprioception of lower extremity plays an important role in detecting changes of foot orientation, pain, and temperature perception. The loss of foot sensation may result increased of difficulty in our daily activities, and affected quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the association between postural stability and foot vibration sensation. Ten transtibial amputees participated in this study. The postural stability test for the Biodex Balance System was used to measure the postural performance for dynamic standing condition. A 128Hz tuning fork used to measure the vibration sensation at the sole of the foot. The current findings revealed that traumatic amputee have significance higher foot vibration sensitivity than diabetes dysvascular amputee. A weak correlation was found between postural activity and vibration sensation at first metatarsal head. The findings may provide a basic knowledge for the contribution of vibration sensation to the postural balance for future studies.