Author(s)

L. Gastaldi, S. Pastorelli, M. Caramella & U. Dimanico

Abstract

The growing popularity of adaptive snowboarding has motivated the designs of new prostheses for lower limb amputees. In the paper the biomechanics of an amputee subject wearing an energy-storing trans-femoral prosthesis for snowboarding is investigated. Experimental motion analysis lab tests were conducted by two expert surfers, an amputee and an able body subject, in order to compare the different behaviours. Results for the two subjects and for different working conditions are reported and analysed. A strong dependence of the prosthesis behaviour on working conditions, especially on working frequency, can be pointed out. Keywords: adaptive snowboard, movement analysis, lower limb prosthesis. 1 Introduction It is well known that sport activity is an excellent functional and psychological rehabilitation for subject with limb capacity compromised due to traumatic events, such as amputees or spinal cord injured. Besides sport can also be a mean to overcome their present physical limitations and more in general physical activity presents many benefits, including a decrease in pain, depression and an increase in the quality of life. Still a redefinition of the sports is necessary to make them adaptive, defining rules and athletes’ classification, and finally re-designing equipments. While rules and classification are under the jurisdiction of international organisation and they must be as general as possible to consider all the disabilities, equipment matter is a more delicate aspect, as it has to respect general rules and at the same

Keywords

adaptive snowboard, movement analysis, lower limb prosthesis