RESEARCH
New Study Finds Improved Mobility for K1 and K2 Users of Specialized MPKs
A team led by researchers at the MEDIA Rehab-Center Wiesbaden in Germany conducted a prospective observational multicenter study to evaluate 24-week functional trajectories in low-mobility individuals. They studied the outcomes of participants who had either transfemoral amputation or knee disarticulation with anticipated mobility level K1 or K2, in two groups:
- Eight individuals who were provided microprocessor knees (MPKs)—specifically, Ottobock’s Kenevo MPK—at the beginning of rehabilitation
- Six individuals who initially received a non-microprocessor knee, with or without delayed transition to an MPK.
Researchers sought to compare self-reported mobility after 24 weeks between the different prosthetic knee trajectory groups, comparing quality of life and social reintegration of the two groups. Scores from the Prosthetic Limb Users Survey of Mobility (PLUS-M K2) evaluation tool indicated both groups demonstrated mobility improvements during the first few weeks—the duration of their inpatient stays—followed by “a more heterogeneous course” during the rest of the study period. The early MPK group showed a more continuous increase in mobility scores across the observation period, according to the researchers, with the delayed/no MPK group exhibiting greater variability over time. “At later follow-up time points, higher PLUS-M T-scores were observed in the early MPK group,” they reported.
In studying quality-of-life outcomes using the EQ-5D-5L Index, the researchers found results similar to the PLUS-M results: At baseline, health utility values were comparable between groups. But during follow-up, the early MPK group showed “a sustained increase in health utility, whereas the delayed or no MPK group exhibited greater variability and overall lower values,” the researchers noted. “At the final follow-up, mean EQ-5D-5L utility was higher in the early MPK group … compared to the delayed or no MPK group.”
Ultimately, this study, which was published in May in Prosthesis, found that patients in the early MPK group demonstrated more stable and sustained improvements over time across all outcomes, and the delayed or no MPK group showed more variable trajectories, with gains often limited to the inpatient rehabilitation phase and less consistent progression during follow-up, according to the researchers. They concluded: “The present findings are broadly consistent with previous research reporting improved mobility outcomes in MPK users compared with individuals using NMPK.”
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