Orthotics and Prosthetics Commons^™

Efficacy Of A Carbon Fiber Orthotic Toe-Off Brace In Adults With Cerebral Palsy, June Kume, John R. Magel, Erin Dicandia, Justine Hoffman, Robert Issing, Joshua Little, Tyler Roden

The School of Health Sciences Publications and Research

Purpose/Hypothesis : This pilot study evaluated the effects of a unique carbon fiber ankle/foot orthosis for individuals diagnosed with foot drop (“Toe-Off” design, Allard USA, Inc). We hypothesized that use of this brace would be useful for adults with cerebral palsy (CP) as evidenced by improved gait characteristics including gait endurance and balance.

Number of Subjects : A convenience sample of 4 patients, between the ages of 29 and 55, with diagnoses of cerebral palsy, was successfully recruited from United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Suffolk (Central Islip, NY). All individuals received regular physical therapy at UCP prior to and throughout …

Its All In The Mind: Mind Controlled Prosthetics, Tziril Joselit

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The problem with prosthetics is a longstanding problem that researchers have been working on for many years. They are attempting to create a prosthetic that acts as if it is the original limb or body part. In recent years they have discovered a technology that has assisted many of those who are greatly in need of a prosthetic, such as an amputee or someone who is “locked in”. “Locked in” refers to a person who is technically confined in his own body and has no methods of communication with the world. Brain-computer interface (BCI) has opened up a whole new …

The Viability Of Organ Printing, Estie Schick

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

Organ printing is an emerging technology that can potentially replace the need for human organ transplants altogether. Organ printing uses bioprinting methods to create three-dimensional biological constructs. Although it has not yet been implemented successfully, with nearly two decades of research devoted to this area, much progress has been made. This article outlines the various aspects of the organ printing process, describes both the accomplishments and challenges of bioprinting, and discusses the feasibility of bioprinting as a viable method for organ replacement.

Crawling Kinematics In An Early Knee Protocol For Pediatric Prosthetic Prescription, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Traumatic Brain Injury Among U.S. Servicemembers With Amputation, Mitchell J. Rauh, Hilary J. Aralis, Ted Melcer, Caroline A. Macera, Pinata Sessoms, Jamie Bartlett, Michael R. Galarneau

Kinesiology & Sport Management Scholarship

Servicemembers with combat-related limb loss often require substantial rehabilitative care. The prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI), which may impair cognitive and functional abilities, among servicemembers has increased. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of TBI among servicemembers with traumatic amputation and examine whether TBI status was associated with discharge to civilian status and medical and rehabilitative service use postamputation. U.S. servicemembers who had a combat-related amputation while deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2001 and 2006 were followed for 2 yr postamputation. Data collected includes injury mechanism; postinjury complications; Injury Severity Score (ISS); and …

Simulation And Control Of An Intelligent Prosthetic Knee With Biogeography-Based Optimization, George L. Thomas

Undergraduate Research Posters 2012

Traditional, passive leg prostheses for transfemoral amputees require the user to produce unnaturally large actuations in order to walk. The resulting motions can cause joint degeneration and arthritis. To avoid this, a semi-active prosthetic knee using hydraulics to store and release energy has been developed. In our work this summer, we have improved upon a previous simulation model for this leg, and we have developed preliminary valve control results in this simulation software with BBO.

The Use Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer For Investigating The Gait Of Transtibial Amputees, Justin Robert Brink

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two areas of research interest in the design and use of lower limb prosthetic devices are how foot performance varies with design and how prosthesis alignment affects gait. The current study addressed both of these areas through the use of the JR3 triaxial transducer mounted at the base of the socket. The transducer is an innovative form of instrumentation that measures forces and moments at the end of the socket. Traditional measurement of gait uses a force plate buried in the floor of a gait laboratory. The study established that the transducer offers a viable means of instrumentation for amputee …

Safety, Ergonomics And Human Factors Engineering On Biomedical Devices Design, Alejandra Sandoval Vazquez^, Noe Vargas Hernandez*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Targeted Reinnervation, Yonatan Levi Moshayev

The Science Journal of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences

The following is an excerpt from the introduction of this paper: Imagine living a life where even the simplest of tasks such as eating a grape or holding an egg required intense concentration and months of training. Until recently, this was the harsh reality for people with upper limb prostheses. Currently, the most common upper limb prosthetic technology being used is body powered. These devices capture remaining shoulder movements with a harness and transfer this movement through a cable to operate the hand, wrist, or elbow. With this control method, only one joint can be operated at a time. When …

Low-Cost Prosthetic Leg For The Vida Nueva Prosthesis Clinic, Sarah M. Baker, Justin G. Lekos, Jen Van Donk, Kevin Yamauchi

Mechanical Engineering

The Piernas de Vida team partnered with the Vida Nueva Clinic of Prostheses and Orthoses in Choluteca, Honduras to design, plan, and implement a prosthetic foot that could be manufactured entirely by the technicians at the clinic in order to reduce their costs and ultimately allow them to serve more patients each year. Currently, the clinic uses a prefabricated prosthetic lower limb provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which can be adapted to both transDfemoral and transDtibial patients. The team has successfully developed a foot, currently called the Layer Foot, which can be used by the …

An Approach For Identifying Gait Events Using Wavelet Denoising Technique And Single Wireless Imu, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon Lockhart, Nathalie Van De Berge

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

A new approach is proposed to identify gait events in non-laboratory environments with a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) embedded inside shoe. The aim of our work is to develop a useful clinical tool for monitoring individuals walking disability and detect specific pathological gait patterns. Temporal parameters of gait are determined by classification of accelerations and angular velocities. Wavelets denoising of IMU signals allows for an important amount of information that is exploited in different manners for event identification. It was found that wavelet denoising enhanced specific turning points which could effectively identify gait events. The method is verified by …

Development Of Software To Estimate Pressures On The Residual Limbs Of Amputees By Means Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer, Malli K. Yalamanchili

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The alignment of prosthesis has been recognized as one of the main factors that determine successful prosthetic outcomes for trans-tibial amputees. Alignment is defined as the relative position and orientation of the prosthetic components. Misalignment can result in changes in the position and orientation of the joints of the leg and moments experienced by them during gait, increases in energy use, and discomfort or even tissue breakdown at the socket/stump interface. Hence it is very important to align the prosthesis in correct manner. Gait analysis can be used to examine the effects of incorrect alignment of the prosthesis during gait. …

Temporal And Spatial Parameters Of Crawling In Children With Limb Loss: Implications On Prosthetic Knee Prescription, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Three Dimensional Printing: Modern Medical Applications, Devin Peek, Elizabeth Stark

Graphic Communication

3-D printing is an additive printing process based on inkjet printing principles. Using this technology, a variety of materials can be used to create a three-dimensional product. Currently this technology is expensive, however it is slowly becoming more affordable. 3-D printing has the potential to change the future of medical model production and prototyping, due to the beneficial products it can produce. The objective of this research study is to discover the technological advancements in 3-D printing that could greatly affect several aspects of the medical industry. The areas discussed include high-risk surgery, dentistry, and prosthetics. After conducting six interviews …

Advanced Education & Research Training Initiative [Aerti] 2009, Mark Daniel Geil, John W. Michael

Faculty Articles

The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists has long recognized the valuable synergy between research and education, and the mutual importance of each in advancing the field. Consequently, a focal point of an Academy grant initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education has been a systematic analysis of research capacity and advanced education. A grant project in 2004 convened a series of meetings and produced the Advanced Education and Research Training Initiative (AERTI) report.

Continuing the initiative, a multidisciplinary and multinational group of experts convened in Chicago July 17-19, 2009 to review the 2004 AERTI Report, evaluate its recommendations …

Assessing The State Of Clinically Applicable Research For Evidence-Based Practice In Prosthetics And Orthotics, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Accuracy And Reliability Of A System For The Digital Capture Of Infant Head Shapes In The Treatment Of Cranial Deformities, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Consistency, Precision, And Accuracy Of Optical And Electromagnetic Shape-Capturing Systems For Digital Measurement Of Residual-Limb Anthropometrics Of Persons With Transtibial Amputation, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Consistency And Accuracy Of Measurement Of Lower-Limb Amputee Anthropometrics, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Selected Orthotic Devices On Ground Reaction Forces Produced During A Drop Landing, Betsy Faye Halwes

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Context: The effect of different types of athletic shoes, foot orthoses, and other arch support materials on lower extremity kinetics and ground reaction forces during walking and running gait has been documented; however, the potential effects of such devices on ground reaction forces during drop landings has not been extensively studied. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate if over-the-counter orthotics, made of the same material, affect vertical and mediolateral ground reaction forces during a drop landing. Design and Setting: A lx3 repeated measures design guided this study where the independent variable, orthotic, has 3 levels (no orthotic-control, …

Variability Among Practitioners In Dynamic Observational Alignment Of A Transfemoral Prosthesis, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Energy Loss And Stiffness Properties Of Dynamic Elastic Response Prosthetic Feet, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Selected Assistive Devices On Normal Distance Gait Characteristics, Chukwuduziem U. Opara, Pamela Levangie, David L. Nelson

All PTHMS Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of selected assistive devices on normal standards of gait. The gait characteristics of stride length, step length, step width, and foot angle were analyzed for 24 right-dominant, healthy men under four conditions: right ankle-foot orthosis (AFO), right hemiplegic arm sling (HAS), both devices (AFO+HAS), and no devices. The dependent variables were measured by a standard method from ink traces left by subjects walking on newsprint. Order of conditions was controlled, and cadence remained consistent across all four conditions for each subject. The AFO and AFO+HAS conditions produced statistically significant changes …