A Research Report on Biomechanical Recommendations for Limb Problems

This report presents a comprehensive investigation into biomechanical recommendations for individuals experiencing limb problems. It begins by outlining the research area, working title, and justification for the study, emphasizing the importance of biomechanics in improving the quality of life for patients with limb prostheses or those suffering from limb-related issues. The report details the study's objectives, which include understanding gait deviations and pressure problems, and highlights the role of biomechanics in rehabilitation. The research methodology is described, encompassing the type of investigation (explanatory), data collection methods (primary and secondary), data analysis techniques, and ethical considerations. A literature review provides supporting evidence from various researchers, discussing gait analysis, foot biomechanics, and the impact of physiotherapy. The report concludes by summarizing the benefits of biomechanical recommendations, including gait analysis, and its role in preventing the aggravation of limb problems. The report also includes relevant references to support the findings of the research.

BIOMECHANICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LIMB PROBLEMS 1

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Contents
1. Area of the research...............................................................................................................3
2. Working title of the research..................................................................................................3
3. Justification for the study.......................................................................................................3
4. Outcome of the study.............................................................................................................3
5. Research methodology...........................................................................................................4
5a. Type of investigation........................................................................................................4
5b. Data collection.................................................................................................................4
5c. Data analysis.....................................................................................................................4
5d. Ethical consideration........................................................................................................4
5e. Research limitation...........................................................................................................5
6. Literature review....................................................................................................................5
Conclusion:................................................................................................................................6
References:.................................................................................................................................7

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1. Area of the research
Biomedical engineering
2. Working title of the research
Biomechanical recommendations for improving quality of the patients’ life
3. Justification for the study
Increased dependency on artificial supportive aids can decline the self-confidence level of the
patients suffering from limb problems or those who have limb prosthesis. They may not
regain the courage to improve their quality of life by biomechanical recommendations of
allied health professionals like physiotherapists. It thus has become an important topic both in
the US and UK to scientifically improve the field of biomechanical recommendations for the
people suffering from limb problems in order to achieve a successful collaboration with the
NHS partners and Medical Devices Technology International.
4. Outcome of the study
The field of biomechanics has become an important topic of discussion to work with people
having amputees and prosthetic limbs. The aim of the biomechanics is to provide an efficient
remedy by clearly understanding the occurrence of gait deviations and pressure problems.
Abdul et al (2012) in his research article told that many people suffer from injuries or pains in
back or lower limbs but as they become greatly dependant on supportive aids, they fail to be
aware of their foot posture that can be a triggering cause of their limb problems and this is the
place where biomechanics play an important role. Bellmann et al (2010) told that
biomechanics has also gained a huge recognition in sports athletes and it is also used to
dignify athletic performances. Thus in the coming future innovations by biomechanics is
going to benefit various people who are having various types of limb problems. This article
will include clinical experience of authors in the US and Britain and will include information
accumulated from the people who are in rehabilitation medicine throughout the world. The
data will be collected in both qualitative and quantitative aspects both from the physicians,
researchers and also from the service users. Both primary and secondary data will be
collected in this research for an efficient conclusion. With the help of the data that will be
collected, it will be easier to determine how much biomechanics can influence a person with
limb problem.

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5. Research methodology
Research methodology includes various topics which will help a researcher to collect relevant
data from different sources. It includes research philosophy, method of data collection,
approach of this research etc. All these methods will be discussed below in brief.
5a. Type of investigation
This research will be conducted in an explanatory approach as all the information here will be
collected in a detailed view. Furthermore all the information will be gathered from various
sources and all these will help the researcher to explore the topic with detailed analysis and
he thus will be able to interpret the results of the evidences or the data that he has collected.
5b. Data collection
As the information of this research will contain both real life experiences as well as previous
journals and articles relevant to the topic, it will include both secondary and primary data.
The data will be collected in both qualitative and quantitative aspects and these will include
50 users and 5 clinicians. The qualitative information will be provided by clinicians and the
quantitative data will be sourced from fifty users of limb problems who have been under
biomechanical recommendations.
5c. Data analysis
Analysing the collected data is a vital part of every research and it helps to identify the
potential outcomes of the research in a successful manner. Appropriate statistical tools and
techniques like MS Excel will be used.
5d. Ethical consideration
There are some ethical considerations that must be obeyed by the researcher while
conducting an academic research. The first and foremost important thing is that he must keep
his collected data in a secret manner and must not reveal publicly. Secondly, he must abide
by the academic norms in this research. The researcher would not compel any respondent to
give important relevant information against their wishes (Modenese et al, 2011). Moreover
successful interpretation of this research also depends largely on cooperation and
coordination of both clinicians and the users so, the researcher must show his respect to every
respondent and he must seek appointments from the clinicians before taking their help so that

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this study can conducted with mutual respect, accountability, trust and fairness in an effective
manner.
5e. Research limitation
The main hindrance of this research is that it is an academic research so it will not have
sufficient economic backings and time will also be limited. As a result the data that will be
collected here will not be precise and hence the result that will be drawn from this study will
produce a rough picture of the concerned topic.
6. Literature review
Boutwell et al (2012) said that feet and ankles form the complex load bearing structures in
our body that are interconnected with other moving parts of our body. This is the reason why
gait analysis cannot determine the extreme conditions of lower limbs and foot. Freivalds
(2011) in his research has claimed that doctors from Foot and Ankle Center of Washington
has provided an efficient approach regarding lower extremity biomechanics that are more
focused and experienced and has earned reputations in both regional and national basis.
Biomechanical care consists of orthotic devices, exercises, modifications of shoes, physical
therapy and exercises.
Gil-Agudo et al (2011) pointed out that most foot problems arise due to improper functioning
of the foot at the time of gait. That is the reason why the clinicians and the researchers want
to analyse the function of legs and foot while a person is walking. This information provides
doctors to design a treatment plan to make the patient feel better.
Gait biomechanics if becomes abnormal causes various problems like bunions, heel pain and
arch pain (Reeser et al, 2010). Furthermore if foot functions are altered, it can even lead to
additional back, hips and knee problems. As per a recent research, some of the important
points that are figured out for performing a gait analysis are listed below-
 If one’s feet hit the ground extremely hard then that increased shock damages tissues
which requires additional cushioning under the heels of the affected person.
 If any abnormal motion causes damage to feet tissues then orthotic devices are required as
a remedy.
 If one’s feet functions as a symmetrical manner then it can also lead to abnormal strain on
pelvis, back and can generate lower back pain.

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 Discrepancies in length of the limb also welcomes lower extremity problems.
Heitmann et al (2011) brought forth in his research article about the techniques that are used
to analyse one’s gait and these are as follows-
 Watching walking of a person- with simple visual analysis of walking movement, doctors
can figure out feet abnormalities.
 Video gait analysis- a device called 4-camera-gait-analysis system shows slow motion
video of a person’s walk to the doctors from where the clinicians can evaluate each
moment of running or walking pattern to suggest the most appropriate treatment.
 3D Running and walking analysis- these are advanced gait analysis techniques. 3D
running analysis uses a treadmill having built-in force pressure measurement where
runners are evaluated with 3D sophisticated cameras for figuring even subtle motion
anomalies (Lo and Xie, 2012). 3D walking analysis is quite similar to the 3D running
analysis, on addition, these analysis test a person in different situations that includes
changes in shoes, inclination and duration of walk. It is highly beneficial for the people
suffering from arthritis.
Lillicrap and Scott (2013) said that physiotherapy is also an important aspect in biomechanics
as it had been told earlier and it includes various types of treatment techniques that are
suggested by the clinicians on the basis of the gait analysis that had been mentioned above.
Some of the examples of these techniques are-
 A recently tested angle or knee seeks principles Rest Ice Elevation and Compression for
managing the swelling
 Taping for sprained knees and ankles
 Soft tissue release techniques and massages for tight and knotted muscles
 Treatment with acupuncture is really beneficial for osteoarthritis of knees.
Conclusion:
Thus from the above research it can be said that if a person suffering from lower limb or limb
problems can have benefits from biomechanical recommendations by the clinicians in a
successful manner with their gait analysis. Moreover this gait analysis also makes a person
aware of the point of extremity that his limb problems can aggravate from a much earlier
time. Moreover these systems doesn’t include any drugs rather it includes some modifications
that can heal a person and can prevent aggravation of the limb problems.

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References:
Abdul Razak, A. H., Zayegh, A., Begg, R. K., & Wahab, Y. (2012). Foot plantar pressure
measurement system: A review. Sensors, 12(7), 9884-9912.
Bellmann, M., Schmalz, T., & Blumentritt, S. (2010). Comparative biomechanical analysis of
current microprocessor-controlled prosthetic knee joints. Archives of physical medicine and
rehabilitation, 91(4), 644-652.
Boutwell, E., Stine, R., & Tucker, K. (2012). Effect of prosthetic gel liner thickness on gait
biomechanics and pressure distribution within the transtibial socket. Journal of rehabilitation
research and development, 49(2), 227.
Freivalds, A. (2011). Biomechanics of the upper limbs: mechanics, modeling and
musculoskeletal injuries. CRC press.
Gil-Agudo, A., del Ama-Espinosa, A., De Los Reyes-guzmán, A., Bernal-Sahún, A., &
Rocón, E. (2011). Applications of upper limb biomechanical models in spinal cord injury
patients. In Biomechanics in Applications. InTech.
Heitmann, S., Ferns, N., & Breakspear, M. (2011). Muscle co-contraction modulates damping
and joint stability in a three-link biomechanical limb. Frontiers in neurorobotics, 5.
Lillicrap, T. P., & Scott, S. H. (2013). Preference distributions of primary motor cortex
neurons reflect control solutions optimized for limb biomechanics. Neuron, 77(1), 168-179.
Lo, H. S., & Xie, S. Q. (2012). Exoskeleton robots for upper-limb rehabilitation: State of the
art and future prospects. Medical engineering & physics, 34(3), 261-268.
McKay, J. L., & Ting, L. H. (2012). Optimization of muscle activity for task-level goals
predicts complex changes in limb forces across biomechanical contexts. PLoS computational
biology, 8(4), e1002465.
Modenese, L., Phillips, A. T. M., & Bull, A. M. J. (2011). An open source lower limb model:
hip joint validation. Journal of biomechanics, 44(12), 2185-2193.
Munteanu, S. E., & Barton, C. J. (2011). Lower limb biomechanics during running in
individuals with achilles tendinopathy: a systematic review. Journal of foot and ankle
research, 4(1), 15.

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Reeser, J. C., Fleisig, G. S., Bolt, B., & Ruan, M. (2010). Upper limb biomechanics during
the volleyball serve and spike. Sports Health, 2(5), 368-374.