Helmholt, Jelte (2026) Designing and validation of a talocrural dorsiflexion measurement device with clubfoot individuals. Bachelor's Thesis, Biomedical Engineering.
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Abstract
Congenital clubfoot is commonly treated using the Ponseti method followed by a boots and bar brace to maintain correction. Standard braces are typically set at around 10 degrees of dorsiflexion. Recently, alternative orthotic designs have proposed increasing the shoe to bar angle to approximately 20 degrees, claiming this leads to greater talocrural dorsiflexion inside the brace. It remains uncertain whether the externally set brace angle directly reflects the actual ankle dorsiflexion achieved within the boot. This project aimed to design and evaluate a wearable device capable of quantifying ankle dorsiflexion while an infant is wearing a boots and bar brace. The system uses two IMUs to estimate the relative angle between the lower leg and foot, combined with force sensors to assess foot to boot contact and support measurement validity. The design focuses on one year old children to reduce anatomical variability and keep the scope manageable. A proof of principle prototype was developed and tested. Static measurements showed limited short term IMU drift and pressure sensors responded consistently to loading. Tilting experiments demonstrated detectable changes in relative angle. Performance depended on accurate sensor alignment and stable fixation. The findings suggest that relative IMU measurements can provide a practical estimate of in-brace dorsiflexion if mechanical integration and signal interpretation are well controlled.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis) |
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| Supervisor name: | Fluit, R. and Hijmans, J.M. |
| Degree programme: | Biomedical Engineering |
| Thesis type: | Bachelor's Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Mar 2026 12:02 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Mar 2026 12:02 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/37249 |
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