Abstract
BACKGROUND: Despite its impact on functionality and quality of life following lower limb amputation (LLA), a comprehensive understanding of health-related physical fitness (HRPF) in specific LLA subgroups is lacking. This study investigated long-term HRPF following war-related traumatic LLA. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in five districts in Sri Lanka. HRPF components were compared between community-reintegrated veterans with LLA (Group 1) and matched able-bodied individuals (Group 2) using the independent sample t test. Six-minute walk test (6-MWT) was used to calculate VO2max for assessing cardiopulmonary endurance. Modified plank test, sit-and-reach test, and skin-fold measurements were used to assess muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition, respectively. RESULTS: All the participants in Group 1 (n = 85) were males aged between 30 and 55 years and were active prosthetic users who had undergone unilateral LLA due to battlefield trauma >10 years ago. Group 1 demonstrated significantly lower cardiopulmonary endurance (VO2max (Mean (SD): 29.7 (4.7)) and muscular endurance (modified plank test (Mean (SD): 17.0 (6.4)) compared to Group 2: 38.4 (4.7) and 25.6 (7.5), respectively, p < 0.001. No significant differences were found in flexibility and body composition between the groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Lower outcomes in cardiopulmonary and muscular endurance, along with comparable outcomes in flexibility and body composition, were found among veterans with LLA compared to their able-bodied counterparts. These findings highlight unmet rehabilitation needs among the underlying population and have important implications for the rehabilitation of individuals with LLA living within similar contexts.