Parametric Analysis of Impact Configurations in Crutch Walking

In this paper, sensitivity and parametric analyses of impact intensity in crutch walking are investigated. The selected parameters of the crutch for these analyses are chosen as the mass, the second moment of inertia, and the location of the center of mass. The intensity of impact can be characterized by the pre-impact kinetic energy of the constrained motion space. Consequently, this part of the kinetic energy is selected as the performance indicator for our parametric analysis. The crutch walking is modeled based on a four-segment rigid body model with joints in the hip, the shoulder, and the elbow. The Sensitivity and Parametric Analyses Toolbox (SPAT) developed in the Applied Dynamics Group at McGill University is employed for the analysis.