Advisory Committee Chair
Alan W Eberhardt
Advisory Committee Members
David A Brown
Christopher P Hurt
Eric P Plaisance
James H Rimmer
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2021
Degree Name by School
Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering (MSBME) School of Engineering
Abstract
Hemiplegia and hemiparesis are life-altering conditions that lead to secondary effects including pain and health decline due to sedentary lifestyle. There exists a need for affordable, safe, and effective exercise equipment designed with these users in mind. Recent studies have demonstrated adaptability of post-stroke individuals to differential forces in a split belt treadmill regime, resulting in increased propulsive force generation of the paretic limb. An elliptical exercise machine with a differential resistance mechanism, free-wheeling motor assistance, and walker accessibility has been fabricated to test whether differential resistance is possible with an elliptical platform. Preliminary testing of 1 subject consisted of elliptical training at different machine settings. Reaction force data indicated this effect is achievable and scalable as a function of the adjustable mechanism. These findings show promise for future investigations with greater sample size, and offer insights for refinement of the differential resistance elliptical prototype.
Recommended Citation
Easton, John, "Design, Construction, And Testing Of A Differential Resistance Elliptical Exercise Machine" (2021). All ETDs from UAB. 780.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/780
