# PARAMETRIC DESIGN STUDY OF PROPHYLACTIC KNEE BRACES

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 1989 · $59,420

## Abstract

In the last several years, prophylactic knee braces have been
widely marketed as a means for reducing the high incidence of
serious ligament injuries occurring in football and other sports.
However, no scientific consensus yet establishes the efficacy of
these devices.  Field trails and laboratory experiments provide
complementary information needed to resolve this issue.
However, even if it can be proven that current knee braces are of
some benefits, the empirical nature of their designs makes it
unlikely that such devices are optimal.  In fact, preliminary
evidence from our laboratory and in the literature suggests
distinctly different performance characteristics between existing
braces.  We suspect that prophylactic knee brace performance is
sensitive to one more major design variables, and that these
design variables can be most efficiently identified in a well-
controlled laboartory model.  We propose series of parametric
laboratory trials to document how the degree of afforded
ligament protection varies in accordance with realistic changes in
the major design variables.

We will pursue two specific aims.  First, we will refine and
further validate an existing laboratory surrogate knee model
which has proven useful for comparative studies of several
commerical braces.  This surrogate knee model incorporates
modularly-replaceable polymeric ligament analogs whose
mechanical properties (stiffness and strength) approximate those
of normal human ligaments; we have completed initial validation
against cadaveric performance under dynamic valgus loading
conditions.  The surrogate model overcomes many of the
difficulties inherent in cadaver material as a vehicle for brace
testing.  Our second specific aim is to use this surrogate model to
document failure load changes and ligament strain changes
accompanying parametric changes in the major design variables
that characterize prophylactic knee braces.  These parametric
design variations are to be efficiently achieved by means of
interchangeable component substitutions in a modular, five-piece
generic knee brace model.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3159622
- **Project number:** 5R01AR039536-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Z1H9VJS8NG16
- **Principal Investigator:** THOMAS DUDLEY BROWN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $59,420
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1988-07-01 → 1990-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3159622

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3159622, PARAMETRIC DESIGN STUDY OF PROPHYLACTIC KNEE BRACES (5R01AR039536-02). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3159622. Licensed CC0.

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