System design of a biofeedback active sensor system (BASS) to mitigate the probability of ACL injuries

Abstract

The anterior cruciate ligament is a main stabilizer between the tibia and femur. Tearing it causes loss of mobility and need for surgery. There is a 13% chance for a National Collegiate Athletic Association athlete to tear their anterior cruciate ligament each year. The recovery process can take up to 9 months, about a quarter of a collegiate athlete's career and 44% of those who complete rehabilitation return to athletic participation. Seventy percent (70%) of anterior cruciate ligament injuries occur from non-contact mechanisms. These decompose into 5 types of failure mechanisms. An analysis was performed on flexion/extension (37%) failure mechanisms. Examinations of the equations of motion of the knee shows the ground reaction and muscle force have the highest contributing weight when compared to the four (4) main contributing factors. The proposed solution includes a biofeedback sleeve that stores inputs and converts it to a tibial shear force approximator. From there, the sleeve warns the athlete if they are approaching a dangerous tibial shear force level. The proposed plan for preventing anterior cruciate ligament will produce $593,400,000, with $483,341 startup costs. The breakeven point occurs at 3 months, with a NPV of $15,968,608 and a return on investment of 18,284.59% after 5 years.