Taylor Group / Laboratory for Movement BiomechanicsOpen OpportunitiesKnee OA is driven by repetitive knee (over-)loading during dynamic daily activities, and results in progressive degenerative changes to the joint cartilage and considerable pain. It has been estimated that over 50% of symptomatic knee OA subjects will undergo total knee arthroplasty once the disease progresses to late stage, resulting in an enormous socio-economic burden as well as long-term impairments to the patient’s health.
Knee OA is especially prevalent in subjects with varus or valgus limb alignment due to predominant loading on only a single femoral condyle. While specially designed shoes and wedged inlays have been shown to modify dynamic impact loading, and slightly relieve knee pain during walking, their low-to-medium efficacy and user’s discomfort limit their mitigating effects on the progression of knee OA.
We aim to test shoes with special sole geometries that can modify gait patterns and joint moments, while assessment of tibiofemoral kinematics will be provided though assessment in the unique moving dual-plane fluoroscopy suite at ETH Zürich.
- Biomechanical Engineering, Biomechanics, Medical Physics, Numerical Analysis
- ETH Zurich (ETHZ), Internship, Master Thesis, Semester Project, Student Assistant / HiWi
| Accurate non-invasive assessment modalities that incorporate both scapular motion and its morphology are currently unavailable, presenting a clear need for sustainable clinical application. To address this need, the Laboratory for Movement Biomechanics (LMB) utilizes a unique optical 4D scanning system (SLOT) to estimate the underlying anatomical structures using non-invasive structured light to produce high-quality images of the human skin surface, both statically and dynamically. By utilizing the clear cutaneous surface contours surrounding the scapula, the application of this technology to the shoulder joint could allow a novel non-invasive and dynamic approach for estimating scapular kinematics that overcomes the challenges associated with soft-tissue artifacts. The key challenge in the development of this approach is the precise identification and tracking of relevant scapula landmarks, as well as soft tissue artifacts, all of which are expected to affect the accuracy of the SLOT-measured kinematics. - Engineering and Technology, Information, Computing and Communication Sciences
- Master Thesis
| Parkinson's disease is a prevalent neurodegenerative condition in individuals over 60 years old. It results from impaired dopaminergic cells in the basal ganglia, leading to gait disturbances and reduced independence. While treatment options like dopamine replacement therapies and Deep-Brain Stimulation (DBS) exist, not all patients benefit from DBS. The lack of reliable biomarkers hampers understanding of surgical outcomes. A new DBS device enables wireless recording of subcortical brain activity, offering novel insights into Parkinson's subcortical activity. To explore personalized therapies, this study will measure the gait performance, neuro-activities like deep brain activity as well as electroencephalography (EEG) during walking in Parkinson's patients. Combining cortical (EEG) and subcortical (DBS) recordings aim to investigate comprehensive brain activity during pathological gait. - Information, Computing and Communication Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences
- Collaboration, Internship, Lab Practice, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative movement disorders affecting over 10 million people worldwide. Symptoms like impaired gait and postural instability can cause falls and highly impair patients’ mobility. The consequences of falls include fractures, hospital admissions, loss of independence, fear of falls, social isolation and early mortality. Falls are cited as one of the worst aspects of PD and unfortunately few efficacious interventions are available. - Engineering and Technology, Medical and Health Sciences
- Master Thesis, Semester Project
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