Encyclopedia of Tribology

2013 Edition
| Editors: Q. Jane Wang, Yip-Wah Chung

Contact Pressure at the Limb/Prosthesis Interface

  • Winson C. C. Lee
  • Aaron K. L. Leung
  • Ming Zhang
Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92897-5_1290
How to cite

Synonyms

 Prosthetic socket–residual limb interface stress

Definition

Pressure is the force divided by the area in which the force is perpendicular to the surface of an object. In order to support the body weight of a lower-limb amputee, a prosthesis has to apply pressure to the residual limb through its prosthetic socket.

Introduction

It is estimated that there are at least three million amputees in the world. Amputation can be caused by vascular diseases, infection, cancer, and traumatic accidents. Prosthetic replacement is one of the most significant rehabilitation programs. A good lower-limb prosthesis can restore locomotive function and improve the self body-image as well as general health of an amputee.

A prosthesis replaces some of the important functions lost due to amputation, and should do so without causing discomfort, pain, or damage to the soft tissue of the residual limb. An external prosthesis is composed of a prosthetic socket and a prosthetic foot, which are...

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References

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  • Winson C. C. Lee
    • 1
  • Aaron K. L. Leung
    • 1
  • Ming Zhang
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Health Technology and InformaticsThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong KongPeople’s Republic of China