Effects of Carbon Fiber Bracing and Medial or Lateral Wedges on Frontal Plane Knee Biomechanics
Kirsten M. Anderson, BSE
Osteoarthritis is a common condition that negatively impacts quality of life and costs billions of dollars each year. Orthotic interventions can include medial and lateral wedging under the foot, knee orthoses, or ankle foot orthoses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the combined effects of medial and lateral wedges used with custom dynamic orthoses (CDOs) on frontal plane knee moments. Five healthy individuals completed biomechanical gait analysis without a CDO, with a CDO only, with a CDO and lateral wedge, and with a CDO and medial wedge. Wedges, used in conjunction with a CDO, were found to alter frontal plane knee moments and may be a potential intervention to treat knee osteoarthritis.
Effects of Carbon Fiber Custom Dynamic Orthoses to Prevent Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis in the Ankle
Kirsten M. Anderson, BSE
Post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) is a common conditions that costs billions of dollars each year. Ankle PTOA commonly develops after intra-articular fracture (IAF) and is associated with elevated tibio-talar contact stress. Carbon fiber dynamic orthoses (CDOs) can improve function and reduce pain, but little is known about the effects of CDOs on lower limb muscle function, joint reaction forces, or tibio-talar contact stress. Four participants who had experienced IAF completed biomechanical gait analysis with three different CDOs. Kinematic and kinetic data were input into OpenSim v4.0 to estimate plantarflexor muscle forces and joint reaction forces. Disrete element analysis was then used to estimate tibio-talar contact stress in each condition. Each CDO reduced soleus muscle forces, joint reaction forces, and contact stress; with stiffer CDOs resulting in larger reductions.
Impacts of AFO and FES Devices During Multimodal Walking: A Case Study on a Pwms with Foot-drop
Laura Byrnes-Blanco, MSME, PhD Candidate
An interventional case study explored the impacts of AFO and FES devices on five spatiotemporal gait parameters for pwMS ambulating under realistic environmental conditions. The spatiotemporal parameters evaluated were walking speed, step width, step length, stride length, and cadence. An immersive virtual reality system was used to generate a realistic nature pathway and record data using a full-body motion capture marker set consisting of 46 markers. It operated in a completely self-paced mode where the treadmill speed responded to the participant's location on the system - allowing natural speeds and gait patterns to be observed. The participant was a 58-year-old female with clinically diagnosed MS and unilateral foot-drop, wore a full-body motion capture marker set of 46 markers, and completed three separate walking trials (no device, AFO, and FES) over two separate visits to avoid fatigue.
Enabling Meaningful Community Ambulation in Stroke Survivors Through Use of a Smart Hip Exoskeleton
Kinsey Herrin, MSPO, C/LPO, FAAOP
In this within-subjects study, we share results which support the use of a hip exoskeleton for improving meaningful community ambulation in stroke survivors. While many orthotic interventions focus on distal joints and are passive in nature, this study indicates that active assistance at the hip joint can improve outcomes in some patients.
Instantly Adjustable Dynamic Extension Assist KAFO
Christine Daire, CPO, LPO, MSOP
Combining old tech with new 3D tech to produce a custom KAFO that offers more control to the wearer instantly. A case study presentation to share a more functional but lighter weight KAFO with dynamic extension assist