Disparities in Functional Recovery After Dysvascular Lower Limb Amputation are Associated with Employment Status and Self-Efficacy

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-18-2022

Publication Title

Disability and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Purpose:

Employment status is considered a determinant of health, yet returning to work is frequently a challenge after lower limb amputation. No studies have documented if working after lower limb amputation is associated with functional recovery. The study's purpose was to examine the influence of full-time employment on functioning after lower limb amputation.

Methods:

Multisite, cross-sectional study of 49 people with dysvascular lower limb amputation. Outcomes of interest included performance-based measures, the Component Timed-Up-and-Go test, the 2-min walk test, and self-reported measures of prosthetic mobility and activity participation.

Results:

Average participant age was 62.1 ± 9.7 years, 39% were female and 45% were persons of color. Results indicated that 80% of participants were not employed full-time. Accounting for age, people lacking full-time employment exhibited significantly poorer outcomes of mobility and activity participation. Per regression analyses, primary contributors to better prosthetic mobility were working full-time (R2 ranging from 0.06 to 0.24) and greater self-efficacy (R2 ranging from 0.32 to 0.75).

Conclusions:

This study offers novel evidence of associations between employment and performance-based mobility outcomes after dysvascular lower limb amputation. Further research is required to determine cause-effect directionalities. These results provide the foundation for future patient-centered research into how work affects outcomes after lower limb amputation.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

  • Lower limb amputation can pose barriers to employment and activity participation, potentially affecting the quality of life.
  • This study found that the majority of people living with lower limb amputation due to dysvascular causes were not employed full-time and were exhibiting poorer prosthetic outcomes.
  • Healthcare practitioners should consider the modifiable variable of employment when evaluating factors that may affect prosthetic mobility.
  • The modifiable variable of self-efficacy should be assessed by healthcare professionals when evaluating factors that may affect prosthetic mobility.

Keywords

Amputation; Lower Extremity; Employment; Mobility; Disparities

Disciplines

Physical Therapy

Language

English

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