Instrumented Forearm Crutches for Patient Rehabilitation
(this project has ended)

Forearm crutches are frequently used in the rehabilitation of an injury to the lower limb, by enabling the patient to reduce or remove weight-bearing on the affected limb. Both excessive loading and unloading of the limb can slow healing or cause further damage, suggesting a need for a program of graduated weight-bearing and activity. Therefore, a patient is instructed by their physiotherapist to apply a certain fraction of their body weight through the crutch axis as they walk. Instructing patients on partial weight-bearing is a difficult task for the physiotherapist as there are currently few objective means of measuring how much weight is going through the affected lower limb. A patient’s perception of the loading on their leg is often prone to considerable error and clinicians can give only subjective feedback as a result of visual inspection.

Type: Normal Research Project
Research Groups: Electronic Systems and Devices Group, Pervasive Systems Centre, Electronics and Electrical Engineering
Themes: Healthcare, Healthcare in ECS, Wireless Sensing and Sensor Networks
Dates: 1st October 2008 to ?

Keywords

• assistive healthcare
• biofeedback
• biomedical engineering
• forearm crutches
• instrumented objects
• patient monitoring

Principal Investigators

• Dr Geoff Merrett
• Professor Neil White

Other Investigators

• Georgina Hallett