Design and Development of an Ankle Rehabilitation Device

Background: Ankle injuries significantly impair function and mobility. Timely physical therapy is crucial for minimizing complications, accelerating healing, and facilitating a quicker return to everyday life. Lapses in therapy adherence can have detrimental consequences, prolonging recovery and potentially leading to long-term limitations. This project intends to design and develop an assistive device prototype for foot ankle rehabilitation, improving access to and adherence to necessary therapy. Methods: A patient’s narrative on her experience with ankle injury and rehabilitation offered crucial information for designing and developing the ankle rehabilitation assistive device. A series of discussions led to establishing design requirements and device specifications ready for prototyping. Experts in engineering, nursing and medical care, physical therapy, and ergonomics contributed to innovating physical rehabilitation therapy. A prototype was constructed and subjected to functionality testing and initial evaluations. Results: Results of the prototype functionality tests show a need to make several adjustments, including changes in the driving mechanisms—improvements in the load capacity, programming, and control fine-tuning. Conclusion: Future work on the prototype includes the implementation of the functional test results. Subjecting the prototype to clinical testing and validation, developing and integrating the mobile app, IP registration, and commercialization.