Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent disease associated with aging. Roughly, more than 80% of people over the age of 55 show radiographic evidence of osteoarthritis, and the quality of life of approximately 10 million Americans are adversely affected by osteoarthritis with about 70% of these individuals in the 65 and over age group.
Synovial fluid is secreted by a membrane called synovium, which links movably jointed bones. A highly-viscous and plasma-like fluid, its most significant function is to aid in lubrication of the joint. Previous research had shown that pathologic changes (osteoarthritis) in joints will result in alterations in the synovial fluid viscosity.
To monitor the pathologic changes in joints, the microrheometer provides a fast, easy and effective way to measure human synovial fluid viscosity. The problem of studying synovial fluid viscosity is the difficulty in collecting large volumes of samples to test. An acoustically tracked falling cylinder rheometer has been developed to account for this problem. The objective of this project is to redesign the microrheometer for clinical use and provide real time analysis by designing a data acquisition system.