Comparison of changes in thigh circumference during the menstrual cycle between female transfemoral amputees and non-amputee females: examination of the reliability and comparison of diurnal and day-to-day fluctuations

[Purpose] Few studies have investigated diurnal and day-to-day changes in the thigh circumference of the residual limb in female amputees. In this study, we used a limb circumference measuring device to confirm the reliability of the measurement and compared the changes in the measured values over time. [Participants and Methods] The study measured and compared the femoral circumference in 2 female amputees and 8 healthy female non-amputees in the morning and evening. [Results] Reliability was assured by measuring the circumferential diameter in triplicate. There were no significant interactions in both diurnal and day-to-day variations, however, in both variations, there were significant differences in the femoral circumstance at any site among the non-amputees. [Conclusion] The amount of edema increased in the evening and varied from day to day in the non-amputees.