Influence of visual feedback during stable and unstable standing balance in persons with lower extremity amputation

Compared to uninjured persons, those with lower extremity amputation rely more on visual feedback to maintain balance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate center-of-mass (COM) accelerations in persons with a lower extremity amputation after the removal of visual feedback on both stable and unstable surfaces. Standing with eyes closed (EC) on an unstable surface increased COM acceleration in both the anterior-posterior (AP) and medio-lateral (ML) directions, thereby increasing total sway area for the unstable surface only. Our results support the idea that vision is the primary feedback mechanism for persons with lower extremity amputation, and that use of somatosensory feedback may only be minimally affected by vision.