Projeto conceitual de uma órtese de apoio e limitação do movimento planar em joelhos para diminuir tensões nas suas articulações

Abstract

The biological organisms of the human body, such as muscles, skeleton, cartilages and lubricants, have their functionalities aimed at the application of movements and load support that, with the natural aging process, suffer losses and wear. Because of this, the individual may suffer from pain, inflammatory reactions, among other conditions. As conventional treatments, invasive procedures, operations for bone mechanical adjustments and muscle reconfiguration stand out. In conjunction with conventional treatments, complementary treatments are highlighted, in which the use of support and facilitation instruments is highlighted, accelerating the recovery of the injury and helping to resume movements. Among these instruments, the orthoses stand out with their most diverse mechanical characteristics. As identified, tensions in the knee due to overload and wear lead to discomfort and movement problems that can be alleviated by the use of these orthoses aimed at the knee and which become the objective of this study. Objective: To develop a quickfix orthosis to control planar joint movement and relieve tension to generate comfort, safety and limitation of movement. Method: The project begins with a literature review of the state of the art around the subject “knee orthoses”. Alongside this, there is a conceptual review of the products already available on the market in relation to their functional requirements. A morphological analysis of the products found is then carried out. The data collected through the analysis is used as input information for the application of the brainstorming tool, in order to understand and identify the requirements for the final solution. With the listing of these requirements, it is possible to determine which physical characteristics the project must present. The basic conceptual design is then determined using the MESCRAI tool, finally finding theoretical alternatives that can feed possibilities to be used as the final design. By bringing together the MESCRAI products found, a decision matrix was then created so that alternatives could be visualized and weighed based on the attributes considered, starting the mockup development phase. From the mockup, it is possible to present the morphology of the final product through photos that show the combinations of the chosen alternative. Finally, the functional description of the product is made. Conclusion: All steps had a satisfactory result. It was possible to develop a mockup so that the project can be applied in practice and clinically analyzed, having satisfactory parameters of comfort, safety and movement limitation, reaching all the goals determined with satisfaction, but still presenting room for advancement and improvement.