Neuromuscular Behavior of Asymmetric Gait in Transfemoral Amputees

The first chapter examines neuromuscular and neuromechanical strategies in individuals with TFA, using the muscle synergy theory. This condition significantly limits movement, even with prosthetic use, necessitating an understanding of the effect of biomechanical constraints on muscle coordination during walking. The current literature lacks insights into whether TFAs exhibit muscle synergy alterations and whether these changes originate from centrally and/or peripherally organized circuits. The chapter addresses these gaps by providing theoretical evidence and proposing associated neural mechanisms for altered muscle synergies, which are crucial for postural stability in TFA. Overall, the chapter underscores the pivotal role of altered muscle synergies in stability maintenance and highlights how increased biomechanical constraints influence afferent drives among TFAs, leading to their alterations.