1. Kinetostatic Design-Refinement of Articulated Knee BracesSeung-kook Jun,Xiaobo Zhou,Daniel K. RamseyandVenkat N. Krovi

Knee bracing has been used to realize a variety of functional outcomes in both sport and rehabilitation application. Much of the literature focuses on the effect of knee misalignment, force reduction and superiority of custom braces over commercial over-the-counter braces. Efforts on developing exoskeletons to serve as knee augmentation systems emphasize actuation of joints, which then adds to bulkiness of ensuing designs.In lieu of this, we would like to employ a semi-active augmentation approach (by addition of springs and dampers). Such an approach serves to redirect power (motions and forces) to achieve the desired functional outcomes from the knee braces. However, the suitable selection of geometric dimensions of the brace and spring parameters to achieve desired motion- and force-profiles at the knee remains a challenge. We therefore introduce a two-stage kinetostatic design process to help customize the brace to match a desired kinematic/static performance.

2. Efficiency of Knee Braces: A Biomechanical Approach Based on Computational ModelingBaptiste Pierrat,Jrme Molimard,Laurent Navarro,Stphane Avril,Paul CalmelsandPascal Edouard[+] Author AffiliationsPaper No. ESDA2012-82451, pp. 237-246; 10 pagesdoi:10.1115/ESDA2012-82451From: ASME 2012 11th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis Volume 4: Advanced Manufacturing Processes; Biomedical Engineering; Multiscale Mechanics of Biological Tissues; Sciences, Engineering and Education; Multiphysics; Emerging Technologies for Inspection and Reverse Engineering; Advanced Materials and Tribology Nantes, France, July 24, 2012 Conference Sponsors: International ISBN: 978-0-7918-4487-8 Copyright 2012 by ASMEABSTRACTabstractKnee orthotic devices are widely proposed by physicians and medical practitioners for preventive or therapeutic objectives in relation with their effects, usually known as to stabilize joint or restrict ranges of motion. The objectives of this work are to characterize the mechanical performance of knee orthoses using a Finite Element Model of a braced human leg. The interface properties of the model are calibrated against experimental data measured by full-field measurements of 3D displacement over the surface of a patients leg. The results show that the mechanical action of knee braces is essentially limited by skin/fabric and skin/muscles sliding. Finally, the model leads to a better understanding of the knee/brace interaction, and of the role of the brace components on the stability of the injured knee. Thanks to this computational tool, novel brace designs can be tested and evaluated for an optimal mechanical efficiency of the devices.Copyright 2012 by ASME

3. A Parametric Design Evaluation of Lateral Prophylactic Knee BracesB. J. Daley,J. L. Ralston,T. D. BrownandR. A. Brand[+] Author and Article InformationJ Biomech Eng115(2), 131-136 (May 01, 1993) (6 pages)doi:10.1115/1.2894112History: Received January 20, 1991; Revised August 21, 1992; Online March 17, 2008ARTICLECITING ARTICLESAbstractSix major mechanical design variables characterizing single-upright lateral prophylactic knee braces were studied experimentally, using a generic modular brace (GMB). Impulsive valgus loading tests were conducted with the GMB applied to a surrogate leg model. The surrogate involved anatomically realistic aluminum-reinforced acrylic components to model bone, and expendable polymeric blanks to mimic the major knee ligaments. Behavior of the surrogate system reasonably reproduced that of human cadaveric knees under similar loading conditions. Load at failure of the medial collateral ligament (MCL) analog, gross knee stiffness, and MCL relative strain relief were measured for each of twelve parametric brace design permutations. Compared to the unbraced condition, bracing provided statistically significant increases in valgus load uptake at failure and in MCL strain relief. Increasing the dimensions of individual brace components (hinge length and offset; upright length, breadth, and thickness; cuff area), relative to those of a GMB baseline configuration deemed representative of current commerical products, failed to achieve statistically significant improvements in brace performance. However, most below-baseline dimensioning of individual components did significantly compromise GMB performance. These surrogate test data indicate that geometric modifications of current single-upright lateral brace designs are unlikely to substantially improve upon the fairly modest valgus load protection afforded by this class of devices.4. The effects of component design variations on mechanical perfomance of prophylactic knee braces B.J. Daley, J.L. Ralston, T.D. Brown, R.A. BrandAvailable online 29 March 2004

5. The effects of knee brace hinge design and placement on joint mechanics P.S. Walkera,b,, J.S. Rovicka,b, D.D. Robertsona,bReceived 16 March 1988, Available online 23 March 2004Choose an option to locate/access this article:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institutionCheck accessApply for remote access doi:10.1016/0021-9290(88)90135-2Get rights and content

AbstractA computer model of 23 knees was obtained by embedding, slicing and digitizing the bone outlines and ligament co-ordinates. Using co-ordinate transformations, various three-dimensional motions were imposed on the knees, and calculations made of femoral-tibial contact error, contact point locations and ligament lengths. Significant deviations in these parameters were noted for abnormal motions including the elimination of internal-external rotation and a-p displacement and the misplacement of a hinge producing correct motion. The resulting mismatch could result in shear in soft tissues, cuff-to-skin slippage and inaccurate ligament length patterns.6.