Hip joint and muscle loading for persons with bilateral transfemoral/through-knee amputations: biomechanical differences between full-length articulated and foreshortened non-articulated prostheses.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is little available in-depth analysis of the biomechanical effect of different prostheses on the musculoskeletal system function and residual limb internal loading for persons with bilateral transfemoral/through-knee amputations (BTF). Commercially available prostheses for BTF include full-length articulated prostheses (microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knees with dynamic response prosthetic feet) and foreshortened non-articulated stubby prostheses. This study aims to assess and compare the BTF musculoskeletal function and loading during gait with these two types of prostheses. METHODS: Gait data were collected from four male traumatic military BTF and four able-bodied (AB) matched controls using a 10-camera motion capture system with two force plates. BTF completed level-ground walking trials with full-length articulated and foreshortened non-articulated stubby prostheses. Inverse kinematics, inverse dynamics and musculoskeletal modelling simulations were conducted. RESULTS: Full-length articulated prostheses introduced larger stride length (by 0.5 m) and walking speed (by 0.3 m/s) than stubbies. BTF with articulated prostheses showed larger peak hip extension angles (by 10.1°), flexion moment (by 1.0 Nm/kg) and second peak hip contact force (by 3.8 bodyweight) than stubbies. There was no difference in the hip joint loading profile between BTF with stubbies and AB for one gait cycle. Full-length articulated prostheses introduced higher hip flexor muscle force impulse than stubbies. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to stubbies, BTF with full-length articulated prostheses can achieve similar activity levels to persons without limb loss, but this may introduce detrimental muscle and hip joint loading, which may lead to reduced muscular endurance and joint degeneration. This study provides beneficial guidance in making informed decisions for prosthesis choice.

HAILO: A Sensorised Hand Splint for the Exploration of Interface Forces.

This study presents the design and development of an instrumented splint for measuring the biomechanical effects of hand splinting and for assessing interface loading characteristics for people with arthritis. Sixteen multi-axial soft load-sensing nodes were mounted on the splint-skin interface of a custom 3D printed thumb splint. The splint was used to measure the interface forces between splint and hand in 12 healthy participants in 6 everyday tasks. Forces were compared between a baseline relaxed hand position and during states of active use. These data were used to generate a measure of sensor activity across the splint surface. Through direct comparison with a commercial splint, the 3D printed splint was deemed to provide similar levels of support. Observation of the activity across the 16 sensors showed that 'active' areas of the splint surface varied between tasks but were commonly focused at the base of the thumb. Our findings show promise in the ability to detect the changing forces imparted on the hand by the splint surface, objectively characterising their behaviour. This opens the opportunity for future study into the biomechanical effects of splints on arthritic thumbs to improve this important intervention and improve quality of life.

Do "Anatomic" Distal Ulna Plating Systems Fit the Distal Ulna Without Causing Soft Tissue Impingement?

Background: Distal ulna fracture fixation plates commonly cause irritation, necessitating removal, due to the narrow area between the ulna articular cartilage and the extensor carpi ulnaris. This study defines the safe zone for plate application and determines whether wrist position affects risk of impingement. Methods: Four different distal ulna anatomic plates (Acumed, Medartis, Skeletal Dynamics, and Synthes) were applied to 12 cadaveric specimens. Safe zone size was measured in circumferential distance and angular arc. Impingement was examined in flexion and extension in neutral, pronation, and supination. Results: The distal ulna safe zone has dimensions of a 92° arc and perimeter circumference of 15 mm. Cumulative extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) impingement occurred in 0% of the 6 simulated wrist/forearm positions for the Acumed plate, 22% for the Synthes plate, 31% for the Skeletal Dynamics plate, and 68% for the Medartis plate. Impingement was most common in supination. Likelihood of ECU impingement significantly decreased in the following order; Medartis > Skeletal Dynamics > Synthes > Acumed. Conclusion: The ECU tendon's mobility can cause impingement on ulnarly placed distal ulna plates. Intra-operative testing should be performed in supination. Take home points regarding each plate from the 4 different manufacturers: contouring of Medartis plates, when placed ulnarly, is mandatory. The Acumed plate impinged the least but is not designed for far-distal fractures. The Synthes plate is least bulky but not suitable for proximal fractures. The Skeletal Dynamics plate appeared the most versatile with a reduced incidence of impingement compared to other ulnarly based plates.

Development of a clinically adoptable joint coordinate system for the wrist.

Kinematics play a vital role in answering both clinical and research questions regarding joint biomechanics. Standardisation of kinematic approaches is important; however, the method that is currently recommended for building the joint coordinate system (JCS) to measure kinematics of the wrist is difficult to implement in vivo. In this study, a series of JCSs were examined and compared to the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) recommendations in terms of landmark digitisation repeatability, coordinate frame creation repeatability, and secondary rotations during planar motion. No differences were found between the ISB JCS and 338 of 408 of the JCSs proposed in the study, meaning that the proposed alternative can be used without affecting the measured joint angles or repeatability of the JCS. Forearm frames that used a vector between the epicondyles to define the YZ plane of the forearm were found to create JCSs that produced secondary rotations greater than that which would be clinically detectable and thus, they should be avoided when defining a JCS. The remaining 338 coordinate systems can be used interchangeably; consequently, should there be any clinical limitations that result in missing landmarks, alternative coordinate systems can be used. A joint coordinate system created using the radial styloid, ulnar styloid, medial epicondyle, lateral epicondyle, the heads of the second and fifth metacarpal, and the base of the third metacarpal is recommended for quantifying kinematics in vivo.

The effect of planar constraint on the definition of the wrist axes of rotation.

Instantaneous helical axes (IHAs) and screw displacement axes (SDAs) are commonly used to investigate joint functional axes of rotation. In the wrist, these have often been obtained through in vitro motion analysis. These definitions are then employed for in vivo applications, such as the design of implants or the development of musculoskeletal models. However, functional unguided joint motions are, by definition, affected by the activity of muscles. Previously published data has disagreed on the relative position and orientation of the two primary axes of rotation of the wrist, i.e. the radioulnar deviation (RUD) axis with respect to the flexion-extension (FE) axis. An in vivo study comparing the FE and RUD IHAs and SDAs of guided motions, to replicate in vitro conditions, and unguided motions of 23 healthy participants was conducted using optical motion capture. Guided motions were performed with the hand and forearm flush against a flat surface. The relative position and orientation of the RUD SDAs with respect to the FE SDAs differed (p = 0.019, p = 0.001) between unguided FE and guided RUD (0.1 ± 4.3 mm, 93.5 ± 16.0°) and guided FE and RUD (1.6 ± 4.0 mm, 107.8 ± 17.7°). This indicates that the use of different constraints, and not physiological differences, is the primary cause of differences in the relative positions and orientations of the FE and RUD axes in the literature. Thus, the practice of using in vitro definitions of the axes of rotation of the wrist for in vivo applications, especially involving FE, may be inappropriate and care must be taken to account for any constraint on wrist motion. It is recommended that investigators define the axes of rotation specifically for their study or refer to literature featuring the desired levels of constraint.

Identifying tasks to elicit maximum voluntary contraction in the muscles of the forearm.

Maximum voluntary contractions (MVCs) are often used for the normalisation of electromyography data to enable comparison of signal patterns within and between study participants. Recommendations regarding the types of tasks that are needed to collect MVCs for the muscles of the forearm have been made, specifically advocating the use of resisted moment tasks to get better estimates of forearm MVCs. However, a protocol detailing which specific tasks to employ has yet to be published. Furthermore, the effects of limb dominance on the collection of MVCs have not been considered previously. Muscle activity was monitored while 23 participants performed nine isometric, resisted tasks. The tasks that are likely to elicit MVC in the flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor carpi radialis, flexor digitorum superficialis, extensor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis, extensor digitorum communis, and pronator teres were identified. Thus, targeted protocols can be designed to mitigate against fatigue. Hand dominance had limited effect, with differences being found only in the finger flexors and extensors (p< 0.03). Thus, use of the contralateral flexor digitorum superficialis and extensor digitorum communis muscles to obtain baselines for activation levels and patterns may not be appropriate.

Design and Evaluation of Magnetic Hall Effect Tactile Sensors for Use in Sensorized Splints.

Splinting techniques are widely used in medicine to inhibit the movement of arthritic joints. Studies into the effectiveness of splinting as a method of pain reduction have generally yielded positive results, however, no significant difference has been found in clinical outcomes between splinting types. Tactile sensing has shown great promise for the integration into splinting devices and may offer further information into applied forces to find the most effective methods of splinting. Hall effect-based tactile sensors are of particular interest in this application owing to their low-cost, small size, and high robustness. One complexity of the sensors is the relationship between the elastomer geometry and the measurement range. This paper investigates the design parameters of Hall effect tactile sensors for use in hand splinting. Finite element simulations are used to locate the areas in which sensitivity is high in order to optimise the deflection range of the sensor. Further simulations then investigate the mechanical response and force ranges of the elastomer layer under loading which are validated with experimental data. A 4 mm radius, 3 mm-thick sensor is identified as meeting defined sensing requirements for range and sensitivity. A prototype sensor is produced which exhibits a pressure range of 45 kPa normal and 6 kPa shear. A proof of principle prototype demonstrates how this can be integrated to form an instrumented splint with multi-axis sensing capability and has the potential to inform clinical practice for improved splinting.

Clinical measurement of the dart throwing motion of the wrist: variability, accuracy and correction.

Despite being functionally important, the dart throwing motion is difficult to assess accurately through goniometry. The objectives of this study were to describe a method for reliably quantifying the dart throwing motion using goniometric measurements within a healthy population. Wrist kinematics of 24 healthy participants were assessed using goniometry and optical motion tracking. Three wrist angles were measured at the starting and ending points of the motion: flexion-extension, radial-ulnar deviation and dart throwing motion angle. The orientation of the dart throwing motion plane relative to the flexion-extension axis ranged between 28° and 57° among the tested population. Plane orientations derived from optical motion capture differed from those calculated through goniometry by 25°. An equation to correct the estimation of the plane from goniometry measurements was derived. This was applied and differences in the orientation of the plane were reduced to non-significant levels, enabling the dart throwing motion to be measured using goniometry alone.