Mimicking medial-knee brace gait using PCA and biofeedback

Knee osteoarthritis is a disabling disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Knee braces have been adopted as a treatment strategy to help manage osteoarthritis pain. These braces apply a force to the knee, which, in theory, reduces the joint loads in the knee. They also however change the way people walk, which can also reduce pain. The purpose of this research is to determine whether the positive effects of the knee braces are due to the altered walking patterns, or the force they apply to the knee. If the altered walking patterns are what reduce knee pain, patients with osteoarthritis can potentially reduce treatment cost and avoid wearing a brace. This research is being performed in collaboration with HAS-Motion, who has recently released a product required to perform this research. This project will test the capabilities of this new product, before it is distributed, in a real laboratory environment.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Kevin Deluzio

Student:

Marcus Brown

Partner:

HAS Motion

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Queen's University