Dyna Brace: Knee Unloader Orthosis with Optimal Transitional Mechanism in Subjects with Medial Compartment Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Knee Osteoarthritis results in pain, progressive inability to walk up and down stairs, decreased quality of life, reduction kinematics and parameters of gait. This study will intend to design and manufacture a new orthosis for resolving this problem. For this reason, a new knee joint will be designed which is able to apply alternative corrective forces to knee in stance phase and finally, evaluated in ten patients with knee osteoarthritis.Methods: Ten patients with medial knee osteoarthritis who met the requirements were included. A new knee joints mechanism was designed by using the solid work software. Then, the knee brace with new joint of resin shell was manufactured. The effect of new brace on kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters of patients walking in two conditions was assessed. The data was subsequently analyzed by motion analysis.Results: Using the new brace reduced adduction knee angle in frontal plane of walking compared patients without brace. In addition, a decrease of flexion angle in stance phase was noted. The evaluation of the new brace on osteoarthritis showed that the speed, distance, cadence and the length of walking were increased in patients and also the double support time and stance phase were decreased.Conclusion: Our results indicate that the new brace improved the kinematics and spatiotemporal parameters of gait in patients with osteoarthritis.

کلیدواژه ها:

Knee osteoarthritis ، knee orthoses ، function ، gait kinematics parameters ، spatiotemporal parameters