We determined the energy cost during gait by measuring the oxygen
consumption of twenty-six patients after treatment for osteosarcoma about
the knee. Fourteen had had an en bloc resection of the distal end of the
femur and proximal end of the tibia followed by segmental replacement with
a custom-made knee prosthesis and twelve had had an above-the-knee
amputation followed by fitting with an artificial limb. Comparisons of
free-walking velocity, oxygen consumption per meter traveled, and per cent
of maximum aerobic capacity used during walking demonstrated that patients
with resection and prosthetic knee replacement had a lower energy cost
during gait.