Fiber optic micro sensor for the measurement of tendon forces

In-fiber Bragg sensor measurements assess fluid effects on strain in the periodontal space of an ex-vivo swine incisor complex under mechanical loading

The purpose of this study is to determine whether in-fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors detect changes within the periodontal ligament (PDL) of ex-vivo swine tooth-PDL-bone complex (TPBC) when manipulating fluid content. Recording strain will allow for a better understanding of the biomechanics of viscoelastic load transfer from the tooth to the PDL during chewing and/or orthodontic tooth movement, as well as replication of these dynamics in regenerated PDL tissues. FBG sensors placed within the PDL of swine incisor teeth were used to measure strain resulting from an intrusive load. Specimens were mounted in a custom platform within an MTS machine and a compressive load was applied at 0.3 mm/s to a depth of 0.5 mm and held for 10 s. Median peak strain and load and median absolute deviation (MAD) were compared: dry vs. saline (n = 19) with bias-corrected bootstrap 95% CI. Dry vs. saline conditions did not statistically differ (median peaks of 5με, 103-105 N) and recorded strains showed high repeatability (MAD of 0.82με, 0.72με, respectively). FBG sensors did not detect the fluid changes in this study, suggesting that the deformation of tissues in the PDL space collectively determine FBG strain in response to tooth loading. The repeatability of measurements demonstrates the potential for FBG sensors to assess the strain in the PDL space of an in vivo swine model.

Role of Robotic Gait Simulators in Elucidating Foot and Ankle Pathomechanics

Testing with cadaveric foot and ankle specimens began as mechanical techniques to study foot function and then evolved into static simulations of specific instances of gait, before technologies were eventually developed to fully replicate the gait cycle. This article summarizes the clinical applications of dynamic cadaveric gait simulation, including foot bone kinematics and joint function, muscle function, ligament function, orthopaedic foot and ankle pathologies, and total ankle replacements. The literature was reviewed and an in-depth summary was written in each section to highlight one of the more sophisticated simulators. The limitations of dynamic cadaveric simulation were also reviewed.

Modelling and in vivo evaluation of tendon forces and strain in dynamic rehabilitation exercises: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Although exercise is considered the preferred approach for tendinopathies, the actual load that acts on the tendon in loading programmes is usually unknown. The objective of this study was to review the techniques that have been applied in vivo to estimate the forces and strain that act on the human tendon in dynamic exercises used during rehabilitation.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

DATA SOURCES

Embase, PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched from database inception to February 2021.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Cross-sectional studies available in English or Spanish language were included if they focused on evaluating the forces or strain of human tendons in vivo during dynamic exercises. Studies were excluded if they did not evaluate tendon forces or strain; if they evaluated running, walking, jumping, landing or no dynamic exercise at all; and if they were conference proceedings or book chapters.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Data extracted included year of publication, study setting, study population characteristics, technique used and exercises evaluated. The studies were grouped by the types of techniques and the tendon location.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies were included. Fourteen studies used an indirect methodology based on inverse dynamics, nine of them in the Achilles and five in the patellar tendon. Six studies implemented force transducers for measuring tendon forces in open carpal tunnel release surgery patients. One study applied an optic fibre technique to detect forces in the patellar tendon. Four studies measured strain using ultrasound-based techniques.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a predominant use of inverse dynamics, but force transducers, optic fibre and estimations from strain data are also used. Although these tools may be used to make general estimates of tendon forces and strains, the invasiveness of some methods and the loss of immediacy of others make it difficult to provide immediate feedback to the individuals.

Detecting early osteoarthritis through changes in biomechanical properties - A review of recent advances in indentation technologies in a clinical arthroscopic setup

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease currently affecting half of all women and one-third of all men aged over 65 and it is predicted to even increase in the next decades. In the variety of causes leading to OA, the first common denominator are changes in the extracellular matrix of the cartilage. In later stages, OA affects the whole joint spreading to higher levels of tissue architecture causing irreversible functional and structural damage. To date, the diagnosis of OA is only formulated in the late stages of the disease. This is also, where most present therapies apply. Since a precise diagnosis is a prerequisite for targeted therapy, tools to diagnose early OA, monitor its progression, and accurately stage the disease are wanted. This review article focuses on recent advances in indentation technologies to diagnose early OA through describing biomechanical cartilage characteristics. We provide an overview of microindentation instruments, indentation-type Atomic Force Microscopy, ultrasound, and water-jet ultrasound indentation, Optical Coherence Tomography-based air-jet indentation, as well as fiber Bragg grating.

Highly Stretchable Polymer Optical Fiber for Mechanical Sensing in Artificial Tendons: Towards Novel Sensors for Soft Robotics

The control of tendon-driven actuators is mainly affected by the tendon behavior under stress or strain. The measurement of these parameters on artificial tendons brings benefits on the control and novel approaches for soft robotics actuators. This paper presents the development of polymer optical fiber sensors fabricated through the light spinning polymerization process (LPS-POF) in artificial tendons. This fiber has exceptionally low Young’s modulus and high strain limits, suitable for sensing applications in soft structures. Two different configurations are tested, indicating the possibility of measuring strain and stress applied in the tendon with determination coefficients of 0.996 and 0.994, respectively.

Polymer Optical Fiber Sensors in Healthcare Applications: A Comprehensive Review

Advances in medicine and improvements in life quality has led to an increase in the life expectancy of the general population. An ageing world population have placed demands on the use of assistive technology and, in particular, towards novel healthcare devices and sensors. Besides the electromagnetic field immunity, polymer optical fiber (POF) sensors have additional advantages due to their material features such as high flexibility, lower Young’s modulus (enabling high sensitivity for mechanical parameters), higher elastic limits, and impact resistance. Such advantages are well-aligned with the instrumentation requirements of many healthcare devices and in movement analysis. Aiming at these advantages, this review paper presents the state-of-the-art developments of POF sensors for healthcare applications. A plethora of healthcare applications are discussed, which include movement analysis, physiological parameters monitoring, instrumented insoles, as well as instrumentation of healthcare robotic devices such as exoskeletons, smart walkers, actuators, prostheses, and orthosis. This review paper shows the feasibility of using POF sensors in healthcare applications and, due to the aforementioned advantages, it is possible to envisage a further widespread use of such sensors in this research field in the next few years.

Quantitative method for gait pattern detection based on fiber Bragg grating sensors

This paper presents a method that uses fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors to distinguish the temporal gait patterns in gait cycles. Unlike most conventional methods that focus on electronic sensors to collect those physical quantities (i.e., strains, forces, pressure, displacements, velocity, and accelerations), the proposed method utilizes the backreflected peak wavelength from FBG sensors to describe the motion characteristics in human walking. Specifically, the FBG sensors are sensitive to external strain with the result that their backreflected peak wavelength will be shifted according to the extent of the influence of external strain. Therefore, when subjects walk in different gait patterns, the strains on FBG sensors will be different such that the magnitude of the backreflected peak wavelength varies. To test the reliability of the FBG sensor platform for gait pattern detection, the gold standard method using force-sensitive resistors (FSRs) for defining gait patterns is introduced as a reference platform. The reliability of the FBG sensor platform is determined by comparing the detection results between the FBG sensors and FSRs platforms. The experimental results show that the FBG sensor platform is reliable in gait pattern detection and gains high reliability when compared with the reference platform.