Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

The Effects Of Obesity On Resultant Knee Joint Loads For Gait And Cycling, Juan Gutierrez-Franco

Master's Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of cartilage and bone tissue and the most common form of arthritis, accounting for US$ 10.5 billion in hospital charges in 2006. Obesity (OB) has been linked to increased risk of developing knee OA due to increased knee joint loads and varus-valgus misalignment. Walking is recommended as a weight-loss activity but it may increase risk of knee OA as OB gait increases knee loads. Cycling has been proposed as an alternative weight-loss measure, however, lack of studies comparing normal weight (NW) and OB subjects in cycling and gait hinder identification of exercises that may …

An Investigation Of Kinetic Visual Biofeedback On Dynamic Stance Symmetry, Trisha J. Massenzo

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of the following research is to utilize task-specific, constraint-induced therapies and apply towards dynamic training for symmetrical balance. Modifications to an elliptical trainer were made to both measure weight distributions during dynamic stance as well as provide kinetic biofeedback through a man-machine interface. Following a review of the background, which includes research from several decades that are seminal to current studies, a design review is discussed to cover the design of the modified elliptical (Chapter 2).

An initial study was conducted in a healthy sample population in order to determine the best visual biofeedback representation by comparing different …