A patient who has a transfemoral amputation should perform which of the following movement patterns when being taught to pick up an object from the floor while wearing a prosthesis?

• A. Place both lower extremities at the same level and weight-bear through both extremities while reaching for the object.
• B. Place affected lower extremity forward and weight-bear through the affected lower extremity while bending forward to reach for the object
• C. Place affected lower extremity forward and weight-bear through the unaffected lower extremity while bending forward to reach for the object.
• D. Place the unaffected lower extremity forward and weight-bear through the unaffected lower extremity while bending forward to reach for the object.

Answer: (D)

When a person has a transfemoral (above-knee) amputation, staying stable while bending to reach a floor Object is best achieved by loading the intact leg. Placing the unaffected leg forward gives you a solid base of support, letting the trunk and hip extensor muscles on that side drive the movement while the prosthetic side follows. This approach minimizes the risk of the prosthetic knee buckling or losing balance and makes the lift smoother and safer, since the base of support remains strong and the center of gravity stays controlled over the stance leg.

Loading through the prosthetic limb or trying to share weight between both legs tends to be less stable for someone with a transfemoral prosthesis, because the prosthetic knee and foot do not provide the same reliable proprioceptive feedback and control as a natural limb. So, using the intact leg forward and bearing the weight through that leg while bending forward is the most stable method for reaching to pick up an object.