Engineering Commons^™

Quantifying The Outcomes Of A Virtual Reality (Vr)-Based Gamified Neck Rehabilitation, Shahan Salim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Neck pain is a major global public health concern and adds a significant financial burden to both the healthcare system as well as people suffering from it. Additionally, it presents measurement and evaluation challenges for clinicians as well as adherence challenges and treatment barriers for the patients. We have developed a virtual reality (VR)-based video game that can be used to capture outcomes that may aid in the assessment and treatment of neck pain. We investigated: (i) performance metrics of overall accuracy, accuracy based on movement difficulty, duration, and total envelope of movement; (ii) stability across sessions; (iii) accuracy across …

A Biomechanical And Physiological Signal Monitoring System For Four Degrees Of Upper Limb Movement, Allison R. Goldman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A lack of adherence to prescribed physical therapy regimens in improper healing results in poor outcomes for those affected by musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the upper limb. Societal and psychological barriers to proper adherence can be addressed through the system presented in this work consisting of the following components: an ambulatory biosignal acquisition sleeve, an electromyography (EMG) based motion repetition detection algorithm, and the design of a compatible capacitive EMG acquisition module.

The biosignal acquisition sleeve was untethered, unobtrusive to motion, contained only modular components, and collected biomechanical and physiological sensor data to form full motion profiles of the following …

Development Of An Emg-Based Muscle Health Model For Elbow Trauma Patients, Emma Farago

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are a leading cause of pain and disability worldwide. Rehabilitation is critical for recovery from these conditions and for the prevention of long-term disability. Robot-assisted therapy has been demonstrated to provide improvements to stroke rehabilitation in terms of efficiency and patient adherence. However, there are no wearable robot-assisted solutions for patients with MSK injuries. One of the limiting factors is the lack of appropriate models that allow the use of biosignals as an interface input. Furthermore, there are no models to discern the health of MSK patients as they progress through their therapy.

This thesis describes the …

The Kinematic And Biomechanical Effects Of Bracing On The Rehabilitation Of The Lcl Injured Elbow, Sara M. Banayan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injuries are often treated non-operatively or with surgical repair. If instability persists, hinged elbow orthoses (HEOs) are often recommended. However, these orthoses are designed as a straight hinge, which does not account for the native carrying angle of the elbow. A custom HEO was designed to adjust the orthosis valgus angulation to measure in vitro elbow kinematics and biomechanics. An in vitro study investigated the effect of HEO valgus angulation during simulated active and passive flexion, in the vertical dependent and varus positions, with the forearm pronated and supinated. In the vertical dependent position, the orthosis …

Comparison Of Dc Motors And Dielectric Elastomer Actuators For Wearable Wrist Exoskeletons, Myles Lidka

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Paralysis or loss of strength resulting from stroke requires patients to undergo extensive rehabilitation therapy. It is known that intensive therapy contributes significantly to recovery, but as the number of surviving stroke patients increases, it is difficult for clinics to provide patients with the optimal level of therapy. Robotic devices for wrist rehabilitation have been developed to lessen these problems, but at the moment they are physically large and must be used within a clinical setting. More benefit could be obtained if the devices were portable, so that they could be used by the patients on a daily basis. To …

Elbow Patients’ Data Collection And Analysis: An Examination Of Electromyography Healing Patterns, Raneem Haddara

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Musculoskeletal conditions are the most common cause of severe long-term pain and physical disability, accounting for the highest disability costs of about $17 billion yearly. To provide better rehabilitation tactics, the knowledge gap between injuries and their healing mechanisms needs to be addressed. The use of electromyography (EMG) is very popular in detecting neuromuscular diseases or nerve lesions; however, there is limited knowledge available for quantifying healing patterns of EMG in orthopedic patients who have injured their joints, muscles, or bones. In order to quantify the progress of orthopedic patients and assess their neuromuscular health and muscle synergy patterns, EMG …

Steel Compression Members With Partial-Length Reinforcement, Morgan Herrell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Steel wide-flange columns in existing truss bridges may be built-up with flange cover plate reinforcement to increase compressive capacity. This thesis investigates the use of partial-length steel cover plates about column mid-height to improve the weak-axis buckling resistance.

The present research first reviews literature concerning the Euler buckling of members with partial-length reinforcement. Inelastic buckling is simulated by 3-D finite element analysis accounting for cover plate length, cover plate area, bolt hole perforations, yield stresses, residual and locked-in dead load stresses, and initial out-of-straightness. The model is validated by a load test of a full-scale column with bolted reinforcement plates. …

Optimizing The Rehabilitation Of Elbow Lateral Collateral Ligament Injuries, Ranita Harpreet Kaur Manocha

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Elbow lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injuries frequently arise following trauma, and can result in disabling instability. Typically such injuries are managed with immobilization followed by a graduated exercise regime; however there is minimal biomechanical evidence to support current treatment protocols. This investigation examines the in vitro effectiveness of several rehabilitation techniques using a custom elbow motion simulator. It was found that active range of motion is safest in the overhead position (n = 7). Early motion in this position may reduce the incidence of elbow stiffness without compromising ligament healing following LCL injury. Forearm pronation and active motion stabilize …

Development Of A Wearable Mechatronic Elbow Brace For Postoperative Motion Rehabilitation, Anastasiia Kyrylova

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis describes the development of a wearable mechatronic brace for upper limb rehabilitation that can be used at any stage of motion training after surgical reconstruction of brachial plexus nerves. The results of the mechanical design and the work completed towards finding the best torque transmission system are presented herein. As part of this mechatronic system, a customized control system was designed, tested and modified. The control strategy was improved by replacing a PID controller with a cascade controller. Although the experiments have shown that the proposed device can be successfully used for muscle training, further assessment of the …

Concrete Bridge Girders With Exposed Flexural Reinforcement, Trevor K. Scott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Reinforced concrete highway bridge girders are regularly repaired by replacing deteriorated concrete with new concrete, temporarily exposing the flexural reinforcement. The absence of bond between the concrete and steel at this stage makes it difficult to compute the flexural capacity and the current code criteria provide no guidance to assist practitioners.

The research reported in this thesis rectifies this knowledge gap. A thorough examination is presented of experimental and analytical investigations by others to determine the typical behaviour, including probable failure modes, of reinforced concrete specimens with exposed flexural reinforcement. Based on these findings, two analytical approaches are developed to …