Team: Ruby Salbego, Kristen Schill, Katherine Konieczka, Arrington Polman, Jacob Hawig
University: University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Engineering
Class: BME 400 - BME Design
Semester: Fall 2021
Project Website
There are approximately 250,000 Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injuries a year in the United States. Female athletes are 2-8x more likely to tear their ACL than their male counterparts. While an ACL injury can involve a direct blow to the knee, 70% of these injuries are non-contact and considered preventable. If an athlete jumps and lands with their knee collapsing inward (valgus angle) by more than 8°, the ACL is at risk for injury. Likewise, if an athlete lands with knee flexion of less than 80°, the ACL is susceptible to injury. ACL injury prevention programs have been developed to improve an athlete's biomechanics and are scientifically proven to prevent injury. Unfortunately, these programs require constant athlete supervision and correction. Therefore, cost and athlete compliance limit the effectiveness of these programs.
Design a sensorized sleeve/pant to be worn during athletic activities and a program that coverts the sensor data into usable knee flexion and valgus angles.