A Quantitative Assessment of Orthoses for Stabilization of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament Deficient Knee

• Published in: Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine Journal of engineering in medicine, 1991-06, Vol.205 (2), p.81-87
• Main Authors: Liggins, A B, Bowker, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anterior cruciate ligament; Anterior Cruciate Ligament - physiology; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries; Biomechanical Phenomena; Braces; Disruption; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Humans; Joint Instability - therapy; Knee; Knee Injuries - physiopathology; Knee Injuries - therapy; Mechanical properties; Medical equipment; Orthopedics; Orthoses; Orthotic Devices; Skin & tissue grafts; Space life sciences; Stiffness; Stress, Mechanical; Structural integrity
• ISSN: 0954-4119; 2041-3033
• DOI: 10.1243/PIME_PROC_1991_205_272_02

Knee braces are used to restore functional stability to joints which have become unstable as a result of the traumatic disruption of the anterior cruciate ligament. A number of quite different designs of knee brace have evolved and are used clinically in the management of these injuries although to the authors' knowledge little quantitative data are available on their relative mechanical characteristics. This paper reports the results of static testing carried out to determine the stiffness characteristics of 24 commonly used braces. The data obtained indicated clear differences between different brace designs with the stiffest having values closely approaching that achieved physiologically in uninjured joints, and the least effective having minimal stiffnesses. It was found that the mechanical performance of any individual brace was determined by three factors: the mechanical characteristics of the individual components from which it was constructed, the structural integrity of its design, and the interaction of the brace with the limb during loading.