Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Design Concept For Low-Cost Management Of Early Medial Or Lateral Osteoarthritis, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

Background: Asymmetrical joint space narrowing occurs in many cases of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The objective of the present study is to elucidate the biomechanics of lateral wedges in shoes used to widen the medial joint space in predominantly medial OA, and the biomechanics of medial wedges in shoes used to widen the lateral joint space in predominantly lateral OA. Methods: Medial or lateral shift of the center of weight bearing of the foot is largely offset by movement of the flexible hip joint, which changes the tilt angle of the femoral head in the frontal plane. The altered tilt can …

Measuring Gait Of Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients Pre-Op And Post-Op Using A Smartphone, Celeste A. Thai

Master's Theses

Motion capture technology is a tool often used in orthopedic applications, including measuring gait dysfunctions. However, gait analysis research focused on total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients is limited, especially using motion capture systems. This may be due to a multitude of factors, such as inaccessibility to gait labs to the general public, difficulty of travel post-surgery, and overall costs of care and maintenance of motion lab equipment. New emerging novel methods use wearable devices such as smartphones and inertial measurement devices (IMUs) to perform gait assessment and are becoming favorable due to their increasingly ubiquitous nature. One such method using …

Development Of A Pressure Sensing System Coupled With Deployable Machine Learning Models For Assessing Residual Limb Fit In Lower Limb Prosthetics, Maxwell D. Lewter

Master's Theses

Lower limb amputations pose significant challenges for patients, with over 150,000 cases annually in the U.S., leading to a high demand for effective prosthetics. However, only 43% of lower limb prosthetic users report satisfaction, primarily due to issues with socket fit, which is critical for comfort, stability, and preventing injury. This study presents a deployable sensing system for potentially real-time monitoring of prosthetic socket fit by using pressure sensors and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to analyze the pressure distribution within the socket. A novel CNN architecture, utilizing both dilated and strided convolutions, is proposed to effectively capture spatial-temporal patterns in …

Effects Of Exoskeletal-Assisted Walking Rehabilitation On Gait Of Patients Post Stroke, Archisha Kanchan

Theses

Stroke can have detrimental effects on one's body. Its symptoms can range from lightheadedness to blurred vision to body paralysis. One of the more common effects of stroke is difficulty walking where many of the patients who have suffered from stroke are unable to ambulate fully. To mitigate gait difficulties, patients typically follow through with various kinds of physical therapy to help with their gait movements. Recently, robotic exoskeleton (RE) walking therapy has been used as a more innovative approach to gait rehabilitation, in conjunction with other physical therapy session techniques. However, studies involving RE therapy within the stroke population …

People With Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Have Impaired Reactive Balance During Walking, Timothy F. Boerger, Learon Mcginn, Megan Bellman, Marjorie C. Wang, Brian D. Schmit, Allison S. Hyngstrom

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Background

People with degenerative cervical myelopathy are known to have impaired standing balance and walking abilities, but less is known about balance responses during walking.

Research question

The aim of this project was to assess reactive balance impairments during walking in people with degenerative cervical myelopothy (PwDCM). We hypothesized that center of mass motion following perturbations would be larger in PwDCM and gluteus medius electromyographic amplitude responses would be decreased in PwDCM.

Methods

Reactive balance responses were quantified during unanticipated lateral pulls to the waist while treadmill walking. Walking biomechanics data were collected from 10 PwDCM (F=6) and 10 non-myelopathic …

Mobilise-D Insights To Estimate Real-World Walking Speed In Multiple Conditions With A Wearable Device, Cameron Kirk, Arne Küderle, M Encarna Micó-Amigo, Tecla Bonci, Anisoara Paraschiv-Ionescu, Martin Ullrich, Abolfazl Soltani, Eran Gazit, Francesca Salis, Lisa Alcock, Kamiar Aminian, Clemens Becker, Stefano Bertuletti, Philip Brown, Ellen Buckley, Alma Cantu, Anne-Elie Carsin, Marco Caruso, Brian Caulfield, Andrea Cereatti, Lorenzo Chiari, Ilaria D'Ascanio, Judith Garcia-Aymerich, Clint Hansen, Jeffrey M Hausdorff, Hugo Hiden, Emily Hume, Alison Keogh, Felix Kluge, Sarah Koch, Walter Maetzler, Dimitrios Megaritis, Arne Mueller, Martijn Niessen, Luca Palmerini, Lars Schwickert, Kirsty Scott, Basil Sharrack, Henrik Sillén, David Singleton, Beatrix Vereijken, Ioannis Vogiatzis, Alison J Yarnall, Lynn Rochester, Claudia Mazzà, Bjoern M Eskofier, Silvia Del Din

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

This study aimed to validate a wearable device's walking speed estimation pipeline, considering complexity, speed, and walking bout duration. The goal was to provide recommendations on the use of wearable devices for real-world mobility analysis. Participants with Parkinson's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Proximal Femoral Fracture, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, and healthy older adults (n = 97) were monitored in the laboratory and the real-world (2.5 h), using a lower back wearable device. Two walking speed estimation pipelines were validated across 4408/1298 (2.5 h/laboratory) detected walking bouts, compared to 4620/1365 bouts detected by a multi-sensor reference system. In the …

Enhancing Human Key Point Identification: A Comparative Study Of High-Resolution Vicon Dataset And Coco Dataset Using Bpnet, Bibash Lama

Masters Theses

Accurately identifying human key points is crucial for various applications, including activity recognition, pose estimation, and gait analysis. This study presents a high-resolution dataset created using the VICON motion capture system and three differently oriented 2D cameras, that can be used to train different neural networks for estimating the 2D key joint positions of the person from the 2D images or videos. The participants in the study included 25 healthy adults (17 males and 8 females) performing normal gait movements for about 2 to 3 seconds. The VICON system captured 3D ground truth data, while the three 2D cameras collected …

Assessment Of Knee Flexion In Young Children With Prosthetic Knee Components Using Dynamic Time Warping, Mark Daniel Geil, Zahra Safaeepour

Faculty Articles

Introduction: Analysis of human locomotion is challenged by limitations in traditional numerical and statistical methods as applied to continuous timeseries data. This challenge particularly affects understanding of how close limb prostheses are to mimicking anatomical motion. This study was the first to apply a technique called Dynamic Time Warping to measure the biomimesis of prosthetic knee motion in young children and addressed the following research questions: Is a combined dynamic time warping/root mean square analysis feasible for analyzing pediatric lower limb kinematics? When provided at an earlier age than traditional protocols dictate, can children with limb loss utilize an articulating …

Subject-Specific Human Knee Fea Models For Transtibial Amputees Vs Control Tibial Cartilage Pressure In Gait, Cycling And Elliptical Training, Ali Yazdkhasti

Master's Theses

Millions of individuals around the globe are impacted by osteoarthritis, which is the prevailing type of arthritis. This condition arises as a result of gradual deterioration of the protective cartilage that safeguards the ends of the bones. This is especially true of transtibial amputees, who have a significantly higher incidence of osteoarthritis of the knee in their intact limb than non-amputees. Engaging in regular physical activity, managing weight effectively, and undergoing specific treatments can potentially slow down the advancement of the disease and enhance pain relief and joint function. Nevertheless, the relationship between the type of exercise and its impact …

Validation Of Meta Motion Imu Sensors Through Measurement Of Knee Angles During Gait, Kerri Caruso

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of inertial measurement units (IMU) in the biomechanical field has become increasingly popular due to their robustness, simplicity, accuracy, and the ability to move research out of a lab and into the real world. In this study, the MetaMotion IMU sensors are assessed for validity against a dynamometer and the Vicon motion capture system. Both systems have proven their measuring accuracies in the biomechanics world and are used as the truth source for this validation study. In the first part of this study, the sensors are assessed for various common sensor errors. Individual sensor components of the IMU, …

Musculoskeletal Adaptation Of Young And Older Adults In Response To Challenging Surface Conditions, Amy E. Holcomb, Nicholas L. Hunt, Amanda K. Ivy, Aidan G. Cormier, Tyler N. Brown, Clare K. Fitzpatrick

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over 36 million adults over 65 years of age experience accidental falls each year. The underlying neuromechanics (whole-body function) and driving forces behind accidental falls, as well as the effects of aging on the ability of the musculoskeletal system to adapt, are poorly understood. We evaluated differences in kinematics (lower extremity joint angles and range of motion), kinetics (ground reaction force), and electromyography (muscle co-contraction), due to changes in surface conditions during gait in 14 older adults with a history of falling and 14 young adults. We investigated the impact of challenging surfaces on musculoskeletal adaptation and compared the mechanisms …

Effect Of Dorsal Quadrant Or Ventral Quadrant Spinal Cord Injury On Gait Features During Locomotion., Anya Nicole Trell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Unites States, approximately 1.5 million people currently have a spinal cord injury and suffer permanent sensory and motor loss due to the disruption of the spinal cord. Due to the significant morbidity, it is vital to understand the functional impact of disrupting neural descending pathways that modulate spinal neurons involved in intermuscular coordination critical for gait behaviors. Tasks that are more difficult require additional input from these neural pathways; therefore, fourteen feline subjects were familiarized with level overground locomotion and stair descent gait tasks. After collection of baseline kinematic data, the subjects received either a dorsal or ventral …

Gender-Specific Anterior Cruciate Ligament – Gait Forces, Bharadwaj Cheruvu, Amy Neidhard-Doll, Tarun Goswami

Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate gender-based differences in gait biomechanics and to evaluate those effects on forces generated on the ACL during walking. Estimation of gender-specific ACL forces in the frontal plane can provide a better understanding of the biomechanical patterns underlying higher female injury risk. The present study used a sample from the Fels Longitudinal Study to test the hypothesis that there are significant gender-differences in frontal plane ACL loading during walking. A cross-sectional sample of 178 participants, including 79 males and 99 females was used to evaluate differences in gait kinetics. Females walked at higher …

Electromechanical Fatigue Properties Of Dielectric Elastomer Stretch Sensors Under Orthopaedic Loading Conditions, Andrea Karen Persons

Theses and Dissertations

Fatigue testing of stretch sensors often focuses on high amplitude, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior; however, when used for orthopaedic, athletic, or ergonomic assessments, stretch sensors are subjected to low amplitude, high-cycle fatigue (HCF) conditions. As an added layer of complexity, the fatigue testing of stretch sensors is not only focused on the life of the material comprising the sensor, but also on the reliability of the signal produced during the extension and relaxation of the sensor. Research into the development of a smart sock that can be used to measure the range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint during …

Development And Application Of 3d Kinematic Methodologies For Biomechanical Modelling In Adaptive Sports And Rehabilitation, Anne Marie Severyn

All Dissertations

Biomechanical analysis is widely used to assess human movement sciences, specifically using three-dimensional motion capture modelling. There are unprecedented opportunities to increase quantitative knowledge of rehabilitation and recreation for disadvantaged population groups. Specifically, 3D models and movement profiles for human gait analysis were generated with emphasis on post-stroke patients, with direct model translation to analyze equivalent measurements while horseback riding in use of the alternative form of rehabilitation, equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) or hippotherapy (HPOT). Significant improvements in gait symmetry and velocity were found within an inpatient rehabilitation setting for patients following a stroke, and the developed movement …

Postural Control Differences Between Patients With Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction And Healthy People During Gait, Junsig Wang, L. Daniel Latt, Robert D. Martin, Erin M. Mannen

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Patients with posterior tibial tendon dysfunction (PTTD) may exhibit postural instability during walking likely due to a loss of medial longitudinal arch, abnormal foot alignment, and pain. While many studies have investigated gait alterations in PTTD, there is no understanding of dynamic postural control mechanisms in this population during gait, which will help guide rehabilitation and gait training programs for patients with PTTD. The purpose of the study was to assess dynamic postural control mechanisms in patients with stage II PTTD as compared to age and gender matched healthy controls. Methods: Eleven patients with stage II PTTD (4 males …

Visual Oscillation Effects On Dynamic Balance Control In People With Multiple Sclerosis, Lara I. Riem, Scott A. Beardsley, Ahmed Z. Obeidat, Brian D. Schmit

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) have balance deficits while ambulating through environments that contain moving objects or visual manipulations to perceived self-motion. However, their ability to parse object from self-movement has not been explored. The purpose of this research was to examine the effect of medial-lateral oscillations of the visual field and of objects within the scene on gait in PwMS and healthy age-matched controls using virtual reality (VR).

Methods: Fourteen PwMS (mean age 49 ± 11 years) and eleven healthy controls (mean age: 53 ± 12 years) participated in this study. Dynamic balance control was assessed while participants …

Characterizing Locomotor Disturbance Perception In Young Adults, Daniel James Liss

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Falls during walking are a leading cause of injuries across aging. Many of these falls are due to slips and trips. The ability to perceive disturbances to ongoing motion may play an important role in the control of walking balance. However, disturbance perception has been investigated in standing balance, but its role in walking balance due to slip- and trip-like disturbances remains largely unknown. Characterizing locomotor disturbance perception in young adults may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of sensorimotor walking balance control.

This work defined locomotor disturbance perception in response to slip and trip-like disturbances in young adults. We …

Musculoskeletal Adaptation Of Young And Older Adults In Response To Environmental, Physical, And Cognitive Conditions, Amy E. Holcomb

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Accidental falls present a large functional and financial burden among people aged 65 years and older. Falls, injuries associated with falls, and the fear of falling decrease quality of life, physical function, and independence for older adults. To prevent falls, improve stability, and protect joints from damage or injury, the typical response to "challenging" conditions include cautious gait, increase muscle co-contraction, and decreased range of motion. These compensatory strategies are more pronounced in the older adult population with apprehensive "cautious" gait at slower speeds, decreased knee flexion, and increased muscle activation around the knee and ankle. The underlying mechanisms and …

Knee Angles After Crosstalk Correction With Principal Component Analysis In Gait And Cycling, Jordan Skaro, Scott J. Hazelwood, Stephen M. Klisch

Biomedical Engineering

Principal component analysis (PCA) has been used as a post-hoc method for reducing knee crosstalk errors during gait analysis. PCA minimizes correlations between flexion–extension (FE), abduction–adduction (AA), and internal–external rotation (IE) angles. However, previous studies have not considered PCA for exercises involving knee flexion angles that are greater than those typically experienced during gait. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate using PCA to correct for crosstalk during one exercise (i.e., cycling) that involves relatively high flexion angles. Fifteen participants were tested in gait and cycling using a motion analysis system. Uncorrected FE, AA and IE angles were …

Analysis Of Human Gait Using Hybrid Eeg-Fnirs-Based Bci System: A Review, Haroon Khan, Noman Naseer, Anis Yazidi, Per Kristian Eide, Hafiz Wajahat Hassan, Peyman Mirtaheri

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Human gait is a complex activity that requires high coordination between the central nervous system, the limb, and the musculoskeletal system. More research is needed to understand the latter coordination's complexity in designing better and more effective rehabilitation strategies for gait disorders. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) are among the most used technologies for monitoring brain activities due to portability, non-invasiveness, and relatively low cost compared to others. Fusing EEG and fNIRS is a well-known and established methodology proven to enhance brain–computer interface (BCI) performance in terms of classification accuracy, number of control commands, and response time. Although …

Feasibility Study To Measure The Impact Of A Specialized Core Exercise On Metabolic Efficiency And Stability During Walking For Above Knee Amputees, Shaye M. Tiell, Sabrina R. Segretario, Serena M. Myers, Emily G. Tully

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The objective of this study is to determine the feasibility of improving the gait of above-knee (AK) amputees by performing daily core exercises aimed to provide an efficient and stable walking pattern. The goal of the exercise is to strengthen core muscles and form temporary neural connections in the brain aimed at improving metabolic efficiency and stability. We will be implementing the Wright Balance Core 360 Exercise Technique for completion by our subjects. Motion capture technology will be utilized in conjunction with a metabolic oxygen consumption analyzer to collect stability and metabolic efficiency data while amputees walk on a treadmill. …

Task-Specific Versus Impairment-Based Training On Locomotor Performance In Individuals With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Crossover Study, Jennifer K. Lotter, Christopher E. Henderson, Abby Plawecki, Molly E. Holthus, Emily H. Lucas, Marzieh M. Ardestani, Brian D. Schmit, George Hornby

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background. Many research studies attempting to improve locomotor function following motor incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) focus on providing stepping practice. However, observational studies of physical therapy strategies suggest the amount of stepping practice during clinical rehabilitation is limited; rather, many interventions focus on mitigating impairments underlying walking dysfunction. Objective. The purpose of this blinded-assessor randomized trial was to evaluate the effects of task-specific versus impairment-based interventions on walking outcomes in individuals with iSCI. Methods. Using a crossover design, ambulatory participants with iSCI >1-year duration performed either task-specific (upright stepping) or impairment-based training for up to 20 sessions over ≤6 …

Design Of Prototype Prosthesis For A Canine With A Right Front Limb Deformity As An Alternate Approach To Stabilize Gait And Withstand Gait Forces, Tayler R. Kastlunger

Master's Theses

Congenital and developmental limb deformities in canines are rare and can occur as a genetic disorder or be caused by extrinsic factors. Without surgery to correct the deformity, conservative management can be implemented to manage exercise and restrict high-intensity activity of the canine. However, any alteration to the normal gait and locomotive biomechanics of a canine can have significant long-term effects on the musculoskeletal health and quality of life of the canine. To improve quality of life and provide an alternative and more cost-effective approach to surgery, a custom prosthetic was designed and developed for a canine born with a …

Heel Down And Toe-Off Time Measured With Ultrasonic Doppler System And Force Plate Sensor, Sabin Timsina

Honors Theses

Collie Box is a medical device that measures the gait parameters of the person walk- ing in front of it. This device uses the Ultrasonic Doppler system to extract the heel-contact and toe-off times of a person walking within the range of 2-10 meters. These times are used to determine the leg’s swing phase and double stance times. The ultrasonic transducer of 10mm diameter is driven at 40kHz. At the time of the heel-contact and toe-off, foot velocity is zero while the torso part of the human body is still in motion. The wide directivity of 10mm diameter ultrasonic transducer …

Knee Joint Loading Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Link To Patient Reported Outcomes And A Novel Method To Monitor With Wearable Sensors, Alex Spencer

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Recovery from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) commonly results in undesirable physical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Identification of modifiable factors such as knee contact force (KCF) early in rehabilitation that can improve these outcomes is important due to the rapid decrease in function, quality of life, and joint health in this population. Additionally, if noninvasive measurement of KCFs outside of a traditional laboratory were possible, clinicians could optimize patient treatment with personalized care. Therefore, there are two primary aims to this thesis: 1) quantify the link between KCF and PROs which measure pain, ability to perform activities of daily living, …

Knee Joint Biomechanics In Transtibial Amputees In Gait, Cycling, And Elliptical Training, Greg Orekhov, A. Matt Robinson, Scott J. Hazelwood, Stephen M. Klisch

Biomedical Engineering

Transtibial amputees may experience decreased quality of life due to increased risk of knee joint osteoarthritis (OA). No prior studies have compared knee joint biomechanics for the same group of transtibial amputees in gait, cycling, and elliptical training. Thus, the goal of this study was to identify preferred exercises for transtibial amputees in the context of reducing risk of knee OA. The hypotheses were: 1) knee biomechanics would differ due to participant status (amputee, control), exercise, and leg type (intact, residual) and 2) gait kinematic parameters would differ due to participant status and leg type. Ten unilateral transtibial amputee and …

Kinematic Foot Types In Youth With Pes Planovalgus Secondary To Cerebral Palsy, Juliet Amene, Joseph J. Krzak, Karen M. Kruger, Logan Killen, Haluk Altiok, Peter A. Smith, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Kinematic variability of the foot and ankle segments exists during ambulation among individuals with pes planovalgus (PPV) secondary to cerebral palsy (CP). Clinicians have previously recognized such variability through classification schemes to identify subgroups of individuals, but have been unable to identify kinematic foot types.

Research question

The purpose of this work was to identify kinematic foot types among children with PPV secondary to CP using 3-dimensional multi-segment foot and ankle kinematics during gait as inputs for principal component analysis (PCA) and K-means cluster analysis.

Methods

In a single assessment session, multi-segment foot and ankle kinematics using the …

Walking Biomechanics And Energetics Of Individuals With A Visual Impairment: A Preliminary Report, Hunter J. Bennett, Kevin A. Valenzuela, Kristina Fleenor, Steven Morrison, Justin A. Haegele

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose.

Although walking gait in sighted populations is well researched, few studies have investigated persons with visual impairments (VIs). Given the lack of physical activity in people with VIs, it is possible that reduced efficiency in walking could adversely affect activity. The purposes of this preliminary study were to (1) examine the biomechanics and energetics utilized during independent and guided walking in subjects with VIs, and (2) compare gait biomechanics between people with VIs and sighted controls.

Methods.

Three-dimensional motion capture and force platforms were used during independent and guided walking at self-selected speeds. Joint angles, moments, external work, and …

Hip And Knee Biomechanics For Transtibial Amputees In Gait, Cycling, And Elliptical Training, Greg Orekhov

Master's Theses

Transtibial amputees are at increased risk of contralateral hip and knee joint osteoarthritis, likely due to abnormal biomechanics. Biomechanical challenges exist for transtibial amputees in gait and cycling; particularly, asymmetry in ground/pedal reaction forces and joint kinetics is well documented and state-of-the-art passive and powered prostheses do not fully restore natural biomechanics. Elliptical training has not been studied as a potential exercise for rehabilitation, nor have any studies been published that compare joint kinematics and kinetics and ground/pedal reaction forces for the same group of transtibial amputees in gait, cycling, and elliptical training. The hypothesis was that hip and knee …