Design and Development of Postural Supports for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

The design and development of wheelchair-mounted trunk supports for people with moderate-to-severe motor control deficits are targeted in this project. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common neuromuscular disorder, and it has a significant impact on muscle function due to the lack of the dys

Project Title

Design and Development of Postural Supports for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patients

Project Area of Specialization

Biomedical Engineering

Project Summary

The design and development of wheelchair-mounted trunk supports for people with moderate-to-severe motor control deficits are targeted in this project. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common neuromuscular disorder, and it has a significant impact on muscle function due to the lack of the dystrophin protein. DMD prevalence and birth prevalence estimates are variable, ranging from 0.9 to 16.8 per 100, 000 males from 1.5 to 28.2 per 100,000 live male births, respectively. Mortality is very low in patients with DMD between 0 and 10 years of age and increases with age. In the combined analysis, it was estimated that for every 1,000 patients 20 to 25 years of age, 86 would die each year, increasing to 336 each year for those >40 years of age. Individuals lose the capacity to maintain an upright posture as muscle weakening progresses, and they become increasingly reliant on others for self-care duties, affecting their quality of life as well as that of their caregivers. Households with DMD caring carry a large economic burden that increases markedly with disease progression having an estimated mean annual out-of-pocket payments of between $3,490 and $14,390. Therefore, a stable and suitable posture is essential to allow the movement of the trunk and head in the functional workspace when seated in order to perform the activities of daily living. The trunk is the central segment of the body and is responsible for head balance, visual and vestibular regulation of posture, and voluntary arm and hand movements. The goal of this study is to overcome the barrier; hence we have developed a trunk and head support. The trunk support consists of a pulley and spring design to improve the postural control in individuals who experience degeneration of muscles. The orthosis allows four Degree of Freedom which is capable of assisting a user in performing their activities of daily life. The adjustable head support, consisting of a head pad that can be fastened to the head, will allow the user to turn their head for visual feedback and social interaction while providing uniform head balancing through gravity adjustment.

Project Objectives

To develop low-cost head and trunk orthoses for wheelchair-based DMD patients to improve their postural stability and help them in performing daily tasks independently.

Project Implementation Method

The passive trunk support consists of a) springs, b) a padded chest harness and c) two rotating pulleys. The support interfaces with the body by the padded chest harness, providing trunk support to the user. It is designed such that the upper two straps of the harness are attached to the cables while the lower two straps are attached to the base of the wheelchair seat with the help of the buckles. The cables, having a diameter of 2cm, go around the pulleys which are mounted on the rectangular rods extended from the base plate at the backrest of the wheelchair on either side of the user’s shoulder. The rotating pulleys provide 4 DoF, two from each rotating pulley, allowing the user to move freely within its functional workspace. The other end of the cable is attached to springs, made up of stainless steel 304, solely for the purpose of the extension. The extension springs, of length 7cm and diameter of 1.3cm, has a stiffness of 0.34N/mm. For this purpose, different forces were applied to the spring by using multiple loads and the extension that occurs in the springs was recorded. The procedure was repeated three times and the average was calculated for accuracy and precision. Then, a graph was plotted for force against extension and the best fit line was drawn and through the slope, stiffness was calculated. The adjustable head support, consisting of a head pad that can be fastened to the head, will allow the user to turn their head. The complete model is supported by a base.

Benefits of the Project

• Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Additional postural supports reduce undue stress on the body, maintain comfort and reduce injury or pressure risks.
• Innovation and technological progress are key to finding lasting solutions to both economic and environmental challenges. Thus, advancement in wheelchair’s additional supports locally will ensure cost-effectiveness and accessibility.
• Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving our project goal. Therefore, this wheelchair prototype will have a significant level of independence and participation for every person with disabilities.
• Our supports will be tested on approximately 20 patients to make sure that they are able to perform their activities of daily living. 5 organizations will be visited, 5 clinicians will be briefed, 20 diffreent homes will be visited which will increase the awareness upto 1000 individuals.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

• Material for trunk support: Mild Steel
• Material for spring: Stainless steel 304 having spring constant of 0.34N/mm

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Medical

Other Industries

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequality

Required Resources

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