Knee osteoarthritis is a leading cause of ambulatory disability in adults. The most prescribed mobility aid, the walking cane, is often underloaded and therefore fails to reduce knee joint loading and provide symptomatic relief. For this study, a novel walking cane with haptic biofeedback was designed to improve cane loading and reduce the knee adduction moment (KAM).

To determine; 1) the short-term efficacy of a novel walking cane using haptic biofeedback to encourage proper cane loading and 2) the effects of the novel cane on KAM.

Cane loading and KAM, peak knee adduction moment (PKAM), and knee adduction angular impulse (KAAI)) while walking were calculated under five conditions: 1) naïve, 2A) after scale training (apply 20%BW to cane while standing, using a beam scale), 2B) scale recall (attempt to load the cane to 20%BW), 3A) after haptic training (vibrotactile biofeedback delivered when target cane load achieved), and 3B) haptic recall (attempt to load the cane to 20%BW with vibrotactile biofeedback delivered). Compared to the naïve condition all interventions significantly increased cane loading and reduced PKAM and KAAI. No differences between haptic recall and scale recall condition were observed.

The haptic biofeedback cane was shown to be an effective and simple way to increase cane loading and reduced knee loading. Haptic biofeedback and scale training were equally effective at producing immediate short-term improvements in cane loading and knee loading. Future studies should examine the long-term effects of scale training and canes with haptic biofeedback on knee joint health, pain, and osteoarthritis disease progression.

膝关节骨性关节炎是成人行走障碍的主要原因。最常用的助行器，手杖，通常负载不足，因此不能减轻膝关节负荷并提供症状缓解。在这项研究中，设计了一种具有触觉生物反馈的新型手杖，以改善手杖负荷并减少膝关节内收力矩 (KAM)。

确定；1) 使用触觉生物反馈来鼓励适当的手杖加载的新型手杖的短期功效和 2) 新型手杖对 KAM 的影响。

在五个条件下计算行走时的拐杖负荷和 KAM、峰值膝内收力矩 (PKAM) 和膝内收角脉冲 (KAAI)：1) 幼稚，2A) 规模训练后（站立时对拐杖施加 20%BW，使用a 光束刻度），2B）刻度召回（尝试将手杖加载到 20%BW），3A）在触觉训练后（达到目标手杖负载时提供振动触觉生物反馈），以及 3B）触觉召回（尝试将手杖加载到 20 %BW，提供振动触觉生物反馈）。与幼稚条件相比，所有干预措施都显着增加了甘蔗负荷并减少了 PKAM 和 KAAI。没有观察到触觉回忆和尺度回忆条件之间的差异。

触觉生物反馈手杖被证明是增加手杖负荷和减少膝关节负荷的有效且简单的方法。触觉生物反馈和规模训练同样有效地在手杖负荷和膝关节负荷方面产生短期的改善。未来的研究应该检查规模训练和带有触觉生物反馈的手杖对膝关节健康、疼痛和骨关节炎疾病进展的长期影响。