Knee Rehabilitation Project
By Barnes, Caitlin; Nguyen, Dzuy; Tse, Matthew; Newman, Kimberly E.; NSF 2008 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 200-201Publication Date: 2011
Description of a rehabilitation system for use following knee replacement surgery. Unlike existing commercial products, the system has automated sensing and monitoring capabilities that prevent the user from executing motion that damages the repair. In addition, it provides the force necessary to obtain the desired knee deflection of up to 110 degrees. The knee rehabilitation system includes a mechanical device to assist in static-progressive stretch therapy, and sensors to record the time and duration of use, as well as the applied force and the flexion angle achieved by the user. The system is operated through the use of a lead screw that translates the patient’s foot along a track. The motion of the screw is entirely controlled by the patient using a hand crank. Load cells mounted on the pedal mechanism record excessive forces. Tilt sensors mounted on the patient’s leg record the angle of the knee, and a timer on the tilt sensor records the duration of use. When the foot is removed from the pedal at the conclusion of the therapy session, the collected data are transmitted to the patient’s physician through a Tele-Health Home Monitoring system. The knee rehabilitation system was designed by engineering students at the University of Denver at a project cost of about 1,500 dollars.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2008/Chapter%2011,University%20of%20Denver.pdf
ISBN: ISBN 1-931280-15-0
