KNEE ASSISTANCE IN FRONTAL AND SAGITTAL PLANES DURING WALKING: A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON ACTIVITY OF MUSCLES RELATED TO MEDIAL KNEE JOINT LOADING

Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis is one of the most common joint diseases in adults worldwide. This thesis aims to evaluate the activity of muscles related to the medial knee joint loading under different knee exoskeleton assistance conditions. An exoskeleton was developed to deliver knee extension and abduction assistance solely or together during stance phase of walking. Five healthy male subjects were enrolled in the experiments with 5 conditions tested. Electromyography (EMG) signals of 6 muscles of interest were collected while the subjects walked on a treadmill under different conditions. Multiple EMG-based indices for the medial knee joint loading were then calculated. The results indicate that in view of muscle activity, the exoskeleton fastening, along with the sole knee extension assistance, affords the potential to unload the medial knee joint, while the knee abduction assistance may not be necessary.