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Prosthetics Glossary

100 terms total — 24 showing — Last updated 15 Sep 2026

Microprocessor Knee

Advanced Technical IVT

A prosthetic knee joint unit that uses an onboard computer processor to continuously adjust resistance and swing-phase control in response to sensor data from the user's gait.

Showing 1–24 of 100

6-Minute Walk Test

Intermediate Technical IVT

A standardised functional endurance test measuring the distance a patient can walk on a flat, hard surface in six minute...

Technical Term Full entry →

ABC Scale

Advanced Technical IVT

The Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale; a self-report questionnaire measuring a patient's confidence in perfor...

Technical Term Full entry →

Activity Level Classification

Intermediate Formal IVT

A standardised framework, most commonly the Medicare Functional Classification Levels (K-Levels 0–4), used to categorise...

Technical Term Full entry →

AMP

Advanced Technical IVT

Abbreviation for Amputee Mobility Predictor, a validated clinical tool used to assess ambulatory potential in lower-limb...

Abbreviation Full entry →

Amputee Mobility Predictor

Advanced Technical IVT

A standardised clinical assessment tool used to predict prosthetic functional outcome and appropriate K-level classifica...

Technical Term Full entry →

Bench Alignment

Advanced Technical IVT

The initial static positioning of prosthetic components relative to one another and to the socket, performed on a workbe...

Technical Term Full entry →

Bilateral Amputee

Basic Semi-formal IVT

An individual who has undergone amputation of both limbs at the same anatomical level or region, either of the upper or...

Technical Term Full entry →

Body-Powered Prosthesis

Intermediate Technical IVT

An upper-limb prosthesis that uses a harness-and-cable system harnessing the user's own body movements to operate the te...

Technical Term Full entry →

Certificate of Medical Necessity

Intermediate Formal IVT

A standardised document, signed by a licensed physician, that certifies a patient's medical need for a prosthetic or dur...

CMN
Document Type Full entry →

Chopart Amputation

Advanced Technical IVT

A partial-foot amputation at the midtarsal (talonavicular and calcaneocuboid) joint level, retaining the hindfoot, named...

Technical Term Full entry →

Circumduction

Intermediate Technical IVT

A gait deviation in which the prosthetic limb swings outward in a lateral arc during swing phase to achieve toe clearanc...

Technical Term Full entry →

Componentry

Intermediate Technical IVT

The collective term for all manufactured parts—feet, knees, wrists, elbows, and other units—incorporated into a prosthet...

Technical Term Full entry →

Definitive Prosthesis

Intermediate Formal IVT

A permanent, custom-fabricated prosthetic device prescribed after the residual limb has stabilised, as distinct from a p...

Technical Term Full entry →

Dermal Sinus

Advanced Technical

A tunnelled tract of inflamed or infected tissue in the residual limb skin, commonly caused by chronic socket pressure,...

Technical Term Full entry →

Dermatitis (Prosthetic-Related)

Intermediate Technical IVT

Inflammation of the skin at or around the prosthetic interface, caused by mechanical friction, moisture entrapment, chem...

Technical Term Full entry →

Disarticulation

Intermediate Technical IVT

Amputation performed through a joint rather than through the shaft of a bone, preserving the bony end of the proximal se...

Technical Term Full entry →

DMEPOS

Professional Technical IVT

Abbreviation for Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies; the Medicare billing and coverage cate...

Abbreviation Full entry →

Dynamic Response Foot

Intermediate Technical IVT

A prosthetic foot designed with a flexible keel or carbon-fibre blade that stores and returns energy during the gait cyc...

Technical Term Full entry →

Elevated Vacuum Suspension

Advanced Technical IVT

A suspension method that uses a powered pump to create and maintain a negative-pressure environment between the liner an...

Technical Term Full entry →

Endoskeletal Prosthesis

Intermediate Technical IVT

A prosthetic limb design in which an internal structural frame (pylon) is covered by a soft cosmetic foam shell, mimicki...

Technical Term Full entry →

Energy-Return Foot

Intermediate Technical IVT

A prosthetic foot design that stores kinetic energy during loading (heel strike and mid-stance) and releases it during p...

Technical Term Full entry →

Exoskeletal Prosthesis

Advanced Technical IVT

A prosthetic limb design in which the structural load-bearing support is provided by a hard outer shell, typically made...

Technical Term Full entry →

Functional Ambulation Category

Intermediate Technical IVT

A six-point ordinal scale (0–5) used in rehabilitation to classify a patient's walking ability based on physical assista...

Technical Term Full entry →

Functional Outcome Measure

Intermediate Semi-formal IVT

A standardised assessment tool used to quantify a prosthetic user's activity and participation levels, often required fo...

Technical Term Full entry →
Showing 1–24 of 100

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