Knee disarticulation has the following advantages over above-knee amputation:

A. Longer lever arm.

D. End-bearing stump. 

E. Supracondylar suspension.

DISCUSSION: Patients with knee disarticulations have a slightly worse cosmetic appearance due to an inequality of knee heights particularly noticeable when sitting. Additionally, prosthetic fitting is significantly more difficult and requires the involvement of a prosthetist familiar with the specific considerations. On the other hand, the increase in lever arm, the endbearing stump, and the use of supracondylar suspension far outweigh the disadvantages when such an amputation is possible from an anatomic standpoint.