Project Overview

During and after pregnancy, it is common for women to experience a loss of strength in the muscles of the pelvic girdle. This can cause serious pain and discomfort, and new methods are continually being researched to relieve women of this condition during their already challenging pregnancy. A device is needed that can assess a maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the hip flexor (iliopsoas) and knee extensor (quadriceps, rectus femoris) muscles during a straight leg raise task to assess this loss of strength, which can be a sign of pelvic instability, in the lower extremities of women both during and after pregnancy. The subject will first perform a fatiguing task with one leg, and will then lay inside of the apparatus quickly after completing this task. The fatigued leg will perform a straight leg lift, and the MVC produced by that leg will be recorded near the ankle of that leg. The leg that did not partake in the fatiguing exercise will press down into a separate force plate, and the MVC it produces will also be recorded. Therefore, our design must span the width of two force plates, allowing for both legs to be inside of it.

Team Picture

Files

• PDS (September 21, 2018)
• Final Report (December 12, 2018)
• Final Poster (December 12, 2018)
• Preliminary Presentation (October 5, 2018)
• Design Matrix (October 9, 2018)
• Updated PDS (October 9, 2018)
• Preliminary Report (October 10, 2018)

Contact Information

Team Members

• Samuel Parmentier - Team Leader
• Noah Nicol - Communicator
• Brittany Glaeser - BSAC
• Daniel Wildner - BWIG
• Kaitlin Lacy - BPAG

Advisor and Client

• Prof. Wan-Ju Li - Advisor
• Dr. Bryan Heiderscheit - Client
• Dr. Rita Deering - Alternate Contact

Related Projects

• Spring 2019: Lower Extremity Strength Testing Device
• Fall 2018: Lower extremity strength testing device