Concept of a load reducing knee-orthosis

Abstract Joint diseases are one of the significant challenges that come with age. The pain that these diseases cause can affect the quality of life of the patient, especially if the disease is causing aches in a high-load-bearing joint like the knee. Most patients these days choose to undergo total joint arthroplasty. However, some patients cannot do the surgery for different reasons or choose to delay it as late as possible. Their only option is to use a walking stick with the associated restrictions in terms of quality of life and incorrect physical strain. To help those patients and reduce their pain, this work aimed to create a concept that reduces the load acting on the knee and lower leg. Alleviating the load on the knee joint has been identified as a crucial factor in reducing pain associated with various knee conditions. To achieve this, the load should be partially transferred from the upper leg to the ground. Following the primary design process stages, a first demonstrator was built and tested. The results of the tests indicated that the device could reduce 30 % of the load exerted on the knee during the first phase of walking. Moreover, it takes around 27 seconds to fasten the device to the user's leg. The overall conclusion is that the first demonstrator proved the validity of the main concept, although there is room for improvement.