Individuals with lower limb amputation may have limitations in carrying out their activities of daily living due to the deficit of body balance, due to the loss of the limb, they need to develop compensatory strategies to neutralize the postural changes that can result in significant barriers to community participation, quality of life, osteoarticular complications in the residual and contralateral joints with increased risk of falling.

To compare the static and dynamic balance between amputee and able-bodied subjects.

Cross-sectional observational study, consisting of 15 individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation using a prosthesis for at least 6 months and 15 non-amputee individuals who composed the control group. Dynamic balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Short Physical Performance Balance (SPPB), baropodometry was used to assess static balance in the standing posture with eyes open, with no adaptation required, the entire. The evaluation was carried out in the gait laboratory of the Centro de Reabilitação e Readaptação Dr. Henrique Santillo (CRER), by a trained physiotherapist.

The entire sample of the group of amputees underwent pre and post fitting rehabilitation. The performance of amputees in the dynamic balance score was lower compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, the group of amputees showed less oscillation of the center of pressure, in the static examination of baropodometry (p<0.05), reflecting a good ability to balance.

Our data suggest that transfemoral amputees have a good static balance, similar to that of people without amputations in the lower limbs, in contrast, despite having a dynamic balance considered good, the performance was significantly lower than that of the control group. As there was a small group of individuals who composed the studied groups, a more expressive sample group can be used in future studies, comparing different levels of amputation.

The results of this research aggregate information on the subject for interested researchers, using common and accessible tools among scientific research for the assessment of postural stability, which are the Berg Balance Scale, the Short Physical Performance Battery and baropodometry. The results of the study point to the inclusion of early balance training in treatment protocols.