Virtual Design of an Assistive Stair Ascent Device for Individuals with Knee Osteoarthritis
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Date
2020-12
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that is becoming increasingly more prevalent due to heavier and aging populations. Effects of OA in the knee range from weakness and instability to loss of range of motion, resulting in difficulty performing everyday tasks such as walking, stair negotiation, and chair rise. With few options to mitigate these effects, individuals with knee OA may turn to noninvasive devices in an attempt to decrease pain and increase function while taking on these everyday activities. There are currently few devices available to such individuals to assist in stair negotiation, most of which are expensive or ineffective. Additionally, studies show that individuals with knee OA biomechanically climb stairs differently, due to the compromised joint. However, no devices on the market are currently designed for individuals with knee OA. The goal of this project is to simulate an assistive device that aids individuals with knee OA in stair ascent.
The Neuromuscular Biomechanics Research Laboratory previously collected motion data of individuals with knee OA during stair ascent. In this study, I used a program called OpenSim Moco to create a model and run dynamic simulations. I simulated an assistive device by placing torsional springs of varying stiffnesses at the hip, knee and ankle to observe how stair climbing was affected. The goal was to simulate lower limb kinematics of those of a healthy individual, without increasing metabolic cost. Results from this study showed that no spring placement or stiffness had a positive impact on both metabolic cost and maximum muscle force.
The results of the simulations from this study and future work can provide insight for design parameters for an assistive stair climbing devices for individuals with knee OA, and possibly improve their performance in daily activities.
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Keywords
Knee Osteoarthritis, Assistive Device, Stair Ascent, Simulation, Virtual Design