Intelligent Orthosis Research Articles

Intelligent Orthosis With Pain Relieverheat Belt An Intelligent Device For Various Orthopedic Supports

Intelligent Orthosis With Pain Relieverheat Belt An Intelligent Device For Various Orthopedic Supports

Study on the postural rehabilitation devices used in the prevention of postural defects and the need to use a smart orthosis

Introduction. Postural defects are a real challenge for the contemporary world. Scoliosis, kyphosis and lordosis are diseases of the spine, with various evolutions and multiple changes of the other components of the thorax (shoulders, shoulder blades, ribs), as well as of the intrathoracic and even abdominal organs. Material and method. This paper presents a study on the need to use a smart orthosis in the prevention of postural defects, a study that is the preamble to the physical realization of such an orthosis. The smart orthosis will use inertial sensors capable of calculating orientation angles in a portable monitoring system that will calculate and represent the curvature of the spine. It is hoped that finding a non-invasive solution to identify the shape of the human back can help reduce the time required for medical rehabilitation sessions or can prevent possible postural defects. Results and discussions. In this study, the existing orthoses on the market that could fall into the category of rehabilitation devices used in the prevention of postural defects were evaluated and an intelligent orthosis was designed. Conclusions. At this time, the existence of an intelligent orthosis in the prevention of postural defects would lead to an improvement in health among the population. Also, this prosthesis would crown the work of physiotherapists by maintaining the results obtained. Keywords: postural defects, smart orthosis, prevention, rehabilitation, health improvement,

Newly designed computer controlled knee-ankle-foot orthosis (Intelligent Orthosis).

The authors have developed a knee-ankle-foot orthosis with a joint unit that controls knee movements using a microcomputer (Intelligent Orthosis). The Intelligent Orthosis was applied to normal subjects and patients, and gait analysis was performed. In the gait cycle, the ratio of the stance phase to the swing phase was less in gait with the knee locked using a knee-ankle-foot orthosis than in gait without an orthosis or gait with the knee controlled by a microcomputer. The ratio of the stance phase to the swing phase between controlled gait and normal gait was similar. For normal subjects the activity of the tibialis anterior was markedly increased from the heel-off phase to the swing phase in locked gait. The muscle activities of the lower limb were lower in controlled gait than in locked gait. The ground reaction force in locked gait showed spikes immediately after heel-contact in the vertical component, and unusual patterns were observed at heel-contact in the sagittal and lateral component. Therefore, compared to locked gait, gait with the Intelligent Orthosis is smooth and close to normal gait from the viewpoint of biomechanics. Even in patients with muscle weakness of the quadriceps, control of the knee joint using the Intelligent Orthosis resulted in a more smooth gait with low muscle discharge.