This module will provide students with an understand of how biomechanics can be applied to resolve clinical problems.  It aims to demonstrate a knowledge of implant innovation, including being skilled in the technical steps of image segmentation, design and validation.  Students will also appreciate the techniques used to measure a participant’s gait, including being able to appreciate how to differentiate between healthy and pathological. 

• Systematically comprehend the function of healthy and degenerate joints, with respect to tribology and contact mechanics. 

• Apply solutions to the clinical demands on the design of a novel implant, and how an engineer can satisfy the regulators. 

• Assess important industrial considerations in orthopaedic design. 

• Understand how synovial joint function can be quantified and its clinical value. 

• Articulate a reasoned judgment behind concepts and methods involved in analysing and modelling joint movement. 

• Develop code to analyse biomechanical data. 

The module will be delivered through a blend of face-to-face teaching (such as lectures, guided study, tutorials, and formative feedback sessions), and online learning material (such as recorded lectures, quizzes, numerical examples and sample tutorial problems).  

Throughout the module, you will develop your academic skills in a number of ways: 

Subject-specific skills: 

• Appreciate the factors that must be considered when describing human joint tribology, including joint force, friction force, contact area and stress, friction, coefficient of friction, viscosity of synovial fluid and coefficient of viscosity. 

• Evaluate the various methods that have been proposed by researchers to describe the lubrication mechanisms present in human and prosthetic joints. 

Commercial skills: 

• Appreciate the process of design, development, manufacture and validation of innovative orthopaedic implants. 

• Reflect on the need to apply regulatory requirements and the interplay with commercialisation. 

Clinical skills: 

• Describe and discuss the various approaches to defining position and orientation of a body in a three-dimensional space. 

• Understand, discuss and compare different approaches to calculating joint kinematics. 

The module is assessed through two summative components, as follows: 

• Coursework 1 (LO 1-3): this assessment, held towards the middle of the semester, is worth 50% of the module mark. and consists in you working on implant design.  

• Coursework 2 (LO 4-6): this assessment, held at the end of the semester, is worth 50% and is in relation to gait analysis. 

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE: 

Opportunities for re-assessment is only permitted provided you have not failed more credit than in the resit rule adopted by your programme.  If the amount of credit you have failed is more than permitted by the relevant resit rule, you may be permitted to repeat study if you are within the threshold set for the Repeat rule adopted by your programme.  You will be notified of your eligibility to resit/repeat any modules after the Examining Board in the Summer period. The re-assessment during the summer resit period will apply at component level.  

All resit assessments will be held in the Resit Examination period, prior to the start of the following academic session. 

The biomechanical function of healthy and degenerate joints

• The biomechanical function of healthy and degenerate joints. 

• Learning the design and validation of novel orthopaedic implant designs. 

• Methods and concepts involved in measuring and modelling joint motion and posture. 

• Analysis of the gait cycle, including measurement techniques and protocols. 

• Understanding the phases and characteristics of the healthy and pathological gait cycle, and how this is influenced by neuromuscular control, joint stability and compensation mechanisms.