University of Twente Student Theses
Redesign of an off-loading ankle brace
Jelsma, L.M. (2022) Redesign of an off-loading ankle brace.
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| Abstract: | Cartilage damage in the ankle is a common injury for younger active persons who e.g. perform sports and sprain their ankle. An osteochondral defect is a lesion involving ankle cartilage damage. Osteochondral defects often require microfracture surgery. The rehabilitation after the surgery can take up to 1 year before the patients can fully return to their sport. There is a potential benefit of off-loading the joint with for example a special ankle brace that can support the process of a weightbearing recovery. Such a device is not yet on the market. The first design for an off-loading ankle brace has been made and tested in a previous project. The purpose of this study is to improve this design so that the device can be used for performance testing with healthy subjects. New requirements were set partly based on the problem analysis performed with the old device. The device should be for example comfortable for the user, sufficiently off-load the ankle, and have a maximum weight of 1200 grams. Several concepts were considered to improve the comfort and robustness of the device. The final design consists of two 3D-printed organic-formed PLA shells, one at the front and one at the back of the leg for support. The mechanical stop is improved to enhance performance and an extra strap is placed at the end of the levers to improve robustness. The levers are made adjustable for different heights. The device itself is 884 grams which makes it 300 grams lighter than the old device, which improved comfort. The new device has been tested through a pretest questionnaire by 10 test subjects, and with a NASA Task Load Index by one test subject. There are still areas for improvement, but the brace has improved on the previous design in terms of comfort and robustness. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | ET: Engineering Technology |
| Programme: | Biomedical Technology BSc (56226) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/94915 |
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