Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment Commons^™

A Dynamic Ankle Orthosis For Alleviating Mechanical Foot And Ankle Pain, Preserving Joint Motion, And Restoring Patient Function, Chloe Ly Chung

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Over two million Americans visit the doctor each year for foot and ankle pain stemming from a degenerative condition or injury. Standard of care ankle-foot orthoses have been shown to effectively manage pain symptoms of the lower limb, but they can also significantly hinder joint motion and limit function. The Dynamic Ankle Orthosis (DAO) was created with the intent to alleviate pain using an offloading mechanism without interfering with natural joint motion. This dissertation presents the development, benchtop validation, functional assessment, and clinical evaluation of this novel treatment option for patients suffering from acute and chronic foot and ankle pain.A …

Development And Application Of A Biorobotic Simulation Of Stance Phase Gait To Study Foot And Ankle Kinematics, Kelly N. Salb

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Ankle instantaneous axis of rotation (IAR) measurements represent a more complete parameter for characterizing joint motion. However, few studies have implemented this measurement to study normal, injured, or pathological foot-ankle biomechanics. Additionally, while load is suggested to play a major role in ankle biomechanics, including influences on articular surfaces, bony motion, and formation of the arches, studies concerning the effects of joint loading are limited.

A novel testing protocol was developed to simulate in vivo mechanics of the foot-ankle complex during early stance phase gait in a human cadaveric model. Two studies were conducted. The first study was to assess …