The development of a flexion range-of-motion-adjustable knee joint for knee-ankle-foot orthoses and evaluation of gait in healthy individuals wearing it.
Minoru Murayama, Kentaro Aruga, Hiroto Kato and 4 others
PMID 37529058WHAT IT FOUND
A new adjustable knee joint for orthoses allowed controlled flexion during walking.
In healthy adults, the 15° and 30° settings increased knee bending in early stance compared to a fixed joint, while the free setting allowed the largest bend in late stance.
Key findings
01Knee flexion angles during the loading response phase were significantly greater in the 15° movement, 30° movement, and free settings than in the fixation setting.
02During the swing phase, the maximum knee flexion angle was greatest in the free setting, followed by the 30° movement, 15° movement, and fixation settings.
03In the 15° and 30° movement settings, the knee flexed to the limit angle in the pre-swing phase but then extended without maintaining maximum flexion in the swing phase.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The participants were healthy adults, not stroke patients or individuals with knee instability who would actually use these orthoses. The study only measured kinematics (joint angles) and did not measure muscle activity or gait efficiency. The sample size was very small (8 participants).
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest, and the research received no specific grant from any funding agency.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this joint improves gait function or muscle activity in patients. The study only showed that the joint mechanically allowed more knee bending in healthy walkers; it did not test whether this helps people with stroke or knee instability.