Fun-Knee™: A novel smart knee sleeve for Total-Knee-Replacement rehabilitation with gamification

Abstract

Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is an increasingly common surgery worldwide. A significant contributor to TKR success is post-surgical rehabilitation. In this work, we present Fun-Knee™, a novel sensor-equipped knee support complemented by mobile device-supported games, specifically designed for “gamified” TKR rehabilitation. Two inclinometers are used to measure the knee angle, which is used as the main input to the developed game. Human-Centered Design theory is applied throughout the game design to ensure a customized, dynamic gaming experience to maximize the pain distraction effect and to increase the exercise compliance and improve the rehabilitation outcome. Preliminary survey results collected from practicing physiotherapists show promising outcomes of the developed prototype, in terms of hardware and software characteristics, usability, clinical utility and overall effectiveness.