Abstract
Prosthetic liners exist to improve amputee safety and comfort by adding a cushioning layer between the residual limb and the prosthetic socket. Many choices in liner technology are available, and clinicians often rely on personal intuition and experience to choose which liners are appropriate for which patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the literature to find what scientific evidence exists to inform prescription practices. ‘Prosthetic liner’ was used as a search term in the Web of Science and PubMed research databases. Fourteen scientific articles met the eligibility criteria and are discussed in this review. The results of this review suggest that there is little scientific evidence to inform prosthetic liner prescription practices. Liner material properties have been well-studied, but their influence on in vivo performance is not well understood. Understanding liner effect on function would be an area of great usefulness.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Department of Veterans Affairs Grant A4843C and by U.S. Department of Education Grant entitled “Advancing Orthotics & Prosthetic Care through Research Standards of Practice and Outreach” (H235J060001) CFDA# 84.235J to the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.