Patellofemoral Unloader Knee Brace

Wisniewski, Olivia; Junker, James J.; Owen, Brianna Nicole; Liberacki, Matthew E.

Student Work

Patellofemoral Unloader Knee Brace Public

The knee joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body and it is prone to various anterior knee pain conditions, such as patellofemoral arthritis (PFA). This condition consists of the loss of articular cartilage between the patella and the femur. Upon market research, the team determined that there was an unmet orthotic need for solving PFA. To rectify this, a patent-pending knee brace was developed to lift the patella and reduce friction between the bones. Motion tracking data and computed tomography images were taken of the interaction of the knee brace and a goat leg, which is analogous to the human leg, to evaluate the patellar lift. The analysis of the data seems promising and shows the need for future work such as an early feasibility study.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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