Disclosures: Stephen H. Luebbert, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Case Diagnosis: A 71-year-old male with right traumatic transfemoral amputation requesting drumming leg prosthesis.

Case Description or Program Description: The patient fell from a ladder, ultimately resulting in a right transfemoral amputation. He lacked a functional prosthetic leg and ambulated with crutches. He played percussion professionally but after his injury became an instructor. He had wished to play the bass drum again. The patient built a makeshift device from out-of-service prosthetics, crutches, and webbing. This improvised prosthesis was uncomfortable and poorly fit. His self-made device inconsistently tapped the pedal. Examination revealed 5/5 strength with bilateral hip flexion, abduction and adduction and 5/5 strength in left knee extension, flexion, ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. A prescription was written for a K2 task-specific prosthesis for toe pedal action and lower extremity conditioning toward a potential ambulatory prosthesis. The finalized design was a total contact acrylic socket with carbon fiber exterior, non-ischial containment, shuttle lock, integrated non-articulated knee, and solid-ankle cushion-heel foot.

Setting: Veterans’ hospital.

Assessment/Results: At the patient’s follow up his new prosthesis demonstrated a secure fit, and he successfully played his full drum set. The patient reported his quality of life had significantly improved by restoring his ability to play music.

Discussion (relevance): This case emphasizes the value of restoring pre-injury vocational function. To our knowledge, this is the first patient with a prosthesis specifically designed for rhythmic bass drum foot tapping. The design required an equivalent variable cadence to accommodate different rhythms. Additionally, the prosthesis provides lower extremity strengthening, which may facilitate future ambulation.

Conclusions: Restoring a performing artist’s ability to play music can greatly enhance their quality of life. Innovations like this drumming-leg prosthesis can provide creative outlets for rehabilitative strengthening and encourage future ambulation goals.

Level of Evidence: Level V

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/a-novel-lower-extremity-prosthetic-prescription-and-design-for-a-professional-percussionist-a-case-report/