NCT03086187

The Effects of the Novel Unloading Device "HEPHAISTOS" on Bone, Muscles and Vessels

The Effects of a 56day Unilateral Muscular Unloading Intervention With a Novel Device That Allows Normal Ambulation While Reducing Muscle Activation Drastically, on Muscles, Bones and Vessels

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 11 (actual)
• Sponsor: DLR German Aerospace Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 20 Years – 45 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

11 healthy men used the HEPHAISTOS unloading orthosis in an ambulatory 8 week intervention study. It greatly reduces calf muscle forces without reducing ground reaction forces.

Detailed description

The 56day unloading intervention with HEPHAISTOS had the following key objectives: 1. Primary objective: Assessment and evaluation of bone adaptation. 2. Secondary objective: Assessment and evaluation of functional and structural muscular adaptations. 3. Third objective: Assessment and evaluation of functional and structural vascular adaptations. 4. Fourth objective: Assessment and evaluation if the present findings deviate from findings observed in established unloading models.

Conditions

• Muscle; Atrophy, General

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
DEVICE	Hephaistos unloading orthosis	The Hephaistos unloading orthosis greatly reduces plantarflexor muscle torque and plantarflexor muscle activation during any gait activity.

Timeline

• Start date: 2011-03-01
• Primary completion: 2011-08-01
• Completion: 2012-07-01
• First posted: 2017-03-22
• Last updated: 2017-03-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Germany