Advances in the measurement of prosthetic socket interface mechanics: a review of technology, techniques, and a 20-year update

A key determinant of prosthesis use is the quality of fit of the prosthetic socket. The socket surrounds the residual limb and applies the appropriate force distribution to the soft tissues to maintain suspension, support, and stabilization as well as translate limb movement to prosthesis movement. The challenge in socket fabrication lays in achieving geometry that provides the appropriate force distribution at physiologically appropriate locations; a task dependent on the understanding of interface tissue-mechanics. In the last 20 years substantial advancements in sensor innovation and computational power have allowed researchers to quantify the socket-residual limb interface; this paper reviews prominent measurement and sensing techniques described in literature over this time frame. Advantages and short comings of each technique are discussed with a focus on translation to clinical environments. Prosthetic sockets directly influence comfort, device use, user satisfaction, and tissue health. Advancements in instrumentation technology have unlocked the possibility of sophisticated measurement systems providing quantitative data that may work in tandem with a clinician’s heuristic expertise during socket fabrication. If validated, many of the emerging sensing technologies could be implemented into a clinical setting to better characterize how patients interact with their device and help inform prosthesis fabrication and assessment techniques.影响假肢使用的关键因素之一是假肢接受腔（prosthetic socket）的适配质量。该接受腔包裹残肢（residual limb），并向软组织施加合理的力分布，以实现悬吊、支撑与稳定功能，同时将肢体运动转化为假肢运动。接受腔制作的核心挑战在于构建能够在生理适宜部位实现合理力分布的几何形态，这一任务依赖于对界面组织力学（interface tissue-mechanics）的理解。近二十年来，传感器技术革新与计算能力的大幅提升，使得研究者能够量化假肢接受腔-残肢界面的相关数据；本文综述了该时期内文献中记载的主流测量与传感技术。本文将讨论各类技术的优缺点，并重点探讨其向临床环境的转化可行性。假肢接受腔直接影响使用者的舒适度、设备使用情况、用户满意度以及组织健康状况。仪器技术的进步使得构建精密测量系统成为可能，这类系统可提供定量数据，在接受腔制作过程中与临床医师的经验性专业判断协同发挥作用。若经验证，诸多新兴传感技术可应用于临床场景，以更好地解析患者与假肢装置的交互情况，并为假肢制作与评估技术提供参考依据。