Degree
Master of Science
Program
Medical Biophysics
Collaborative Specialization
Musculoskeletal Health Research
Supervisor
Teeter, Matthew G.
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease for which the only long-term solution is total knee arthroplasty (TKA), though many patients are not satisfied with their TKA. Satisfaction in TKA patients is not well understood. Subjective questionnaires and objective functional tests have been previously used to assess TKA outcomes, but both have disadvantages. Wearable sensors have facilitated affordable biomechanical measurement in OA and TKA populations. The objective of this work was to use wearable sensors alongside functional tests with TKA patients to identify quantitative function that related to subjective function and satisfaction. A wearable sensor-setup was validated before implementation in a TKA population. Quantitative sensor metrics describing the motion of individual leg segments was found to correlate with subjective function and satisfaction. This study provided strong evidence towards the connection between quantitative function and patient experience and may be able to identify functional deficiencies for targeted therapy to improve satisfaction.
Recommended Citation
Fennema, Megan, "Wearable sensors and total knee arthroplasty: Assessing quantitative function to improve the patient experience" (2018). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 5918.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/5918