Guidelines for Designing Orthopedic Devices Related to Athletic Injuries

Abstract

Athletes constantly put their bodies at risk and often sustain major injuries from participating in their sport of choice. The purpose of this thesis is to create guiding principles for the construction of orthopedic devices that relate particularly to sport injuries. The guidelines will encompass input from orthopedic doctors, athletic trainers, designers, and athletes. The majority of sport related injuries occur to the lower extremities of the athlete. The following thesis will focus on collegiate athletes and more specifically lower leg injuries. The need for this study is to assist, through research, in the making of better products in a timely fashion, which will allow the student-athlete to function normally while injured. Athletes typically require special devices for rehabilitation enabling them to return to a peek state of fitness and performance. The following study will provide information to make the design process of orthopedic devices more comprehensive and specialized.