Gait Inefficiency in Through Knee Amputation

Through knee amputations are generally undertaken for two distinct reasons:

In the growing child the effect of growth on a diaphyseal bone end is to force it through the skin of the stump whereas the rounded femoral condyles are more effective at stretching the soft tissues without penetration.

Patients with vascular problems and diabetics are thought to have a lower risk of continuing sepsis if the marrow cavity is not exposed as a result of the amputation. The logic of this assumption is not based on evidence.

The lack of an active knee places the through knee amputee at much the same disadvantage as the low transfemoral amputee when compared with the trans tibial amputee.