Mokhtar Arazpour

Title : The effect of 'Sensor Lock', a knee–ankle–foot orthosis with an electromechanical stance control knee joint, on walking ability and energy consumption of subjects with quadriceps weakness

Abstract:

Objectives: This study aimed to analyze an electromechanical stance control (SC) knee joint, 'sensor lock', which could potentially solve the problems of walking and energy expenditure in subjects with quadriceps weakness.
Methods: Nine subjects with quadriceps weakness were participated in this study. A custom-made stance-control knee–ankle–foot orthosis (KAFO) with the same set of components was constructed for each subject. Subjects walked at their self-selected speed along a flat walkway to enable a comparison of walking speed, endurance, and the physiological cost index.
Results: The use of KAFOs fitted with the sensor lock knee joint resulted in improvements to walking speed, distance walked, and energy costs when compared with the use of KAFOs with locked knee mode. 
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the use of KAFOs with a SC mode could provide significant benefits for patients with a quadriceps weakness when compared to KAFOs using a locked knee mode.

Biography:

Dr. Mokhtar Arazpour is an associate professor in the Department of Orthotics and Prosthetics, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR), Tehran, Iran, where he also obtained his BS, MSc, and Ph.D. in Orthotics and Prosthetics. The title of his Ph.D. thesis is \"Design, Construction, and Evaluation of the New Powered Gait Orthosis for Walking in Spinal Cord Injury Patients." Dr. Arazpour’s research interests include lower-limb orthotics, osteoarthritis of knee and hand joints, design and construction of new lower limb orthosis, and walking analysis