Presentation Title
UVM Senior Experience in Engineering Design (SEED): Instrumented Knee Brace
Abstract
Many patients who undergo knee surgery, specifically ACL reconstruction, go on to develop knee osteoarthritis (OA). This is characterized by the loss of joint space cartilage and increased bone on bone contact within the knee joint. The later onset of this disease is thought to be related to the altered gait mechanics during the postoperative recovery period. The purpose of this project is to research and instrument wearable sensors onto a knee brace that will be worn by a patient during the six-week recovery time. The novelty of this project is that it will be able to record and store this data outside of the laboratory. The data will be a more accurate representation of how the patient walks during their daily life than if it was collected inside the lab. This will help the patient better understand their progress and clinicians can monitor them throughout their rehabilitation period. Interventions can be made to prevent post-ACLR knee OA if necessary without having to come into the doctor’s office. The results from this project will also be used to contribute to research on post-ACLR knee OA and help researchers better understand how ACL reconstruction affects the gait cycle over time.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Ryan McGinnis
Secondary Mentor Name
Dr. Reed Gurchiek
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Biomedical Engineering
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Health Sciences
UVM Senior Experience in Engineering Design (SEED): Instrumented Knee Brace
Many patients who undergo knee surgery, specifically ACL reconstruction, go on to develop knee osteoarthritis (OA). This is characterized by the loss of joint space cartilage and increased bone on bone contact within the knee joint. The later onset of this disease is thought to be related to the altered gait mechanics during the postoperative recovery period. The purpose of this project is to research and instrument wearable sensors onto a knee brace that will be worn by a patient during the six-week recovery time. The novelty of this project is that it will be able to record and store this data outside of the laboratory. The data will be a more accurate representation of how the patient walks during their daily life than if it was collected inside the lab. This will help the patient better understand their progress and clinicians can monitor them throughout their rehabilitation period. Interventions can be made to prevent post-ACLR knee OA if necessary without having to come into the doctor’s office. The results from this project will also be used to contribute to research on post-ACLR knee OA and help researchers better understand how ACL reconstruction affects the gait cycle over time.