Changes in plantar load distribution and gait pattern following foot drop correction in leprosy affected patients

One of the many lasting side effects of a stroke can be foot drop, or an inability to dorsiflex the foot. In order to remedy this, many people wear an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) post-stroke. One of the many troubles these individuals face is in dealing with obstacles such as stairs and ramps, because the AFO limits the plantarflexion that is natural in navigating these obstacles [1,2]. The end goal of this research is to create an active AFO that adapts to changing ground terrain, providing a more natural gait pattern. This paper presents the first part of this work: a means for identifying terrain in order to control an AFO. This has been accomplished using an infrared (IR) range sensor attached to the lower leg, used to measure the surface profile of the ground just ahead of a test subject. Using a modified RANSAC technique to fit experimental gait data, standardized gait profiles for different terrain have been quantified and shown to be reproducible, indicating the utility of the technique for terrain identification and AFO control.

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Study on Leg Motor Load Distribution in Humanoid Robots by Changing Gait Pattern

The Proceedings of JSME annual Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (Robomec) ◽

10.1299/jsmermd.2016.2p2-17a5 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2016 (0) ◽

pp. 2P2-17a5

Author(s):

Naoaki HATAKEYAMA ◽

Ryu YAMAMOTO ◽

Hiroyuki TAKAHASHI ◽

Yasuo HAYASHIBARA

Keyword(s):

Load Distribution ◽

Humanoid Robots ◽

Gait Pattern ◽

Motor Load

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A Wearable Gait Monitor and Terrain Prediction System

Volume 1B: Extremity; Fluid Mechanics; Gait; Growth, Remodeling, and Repair; Heart Valves; Injury Biomechanics; Mechanotransduction and Sub-Cellular Biophysics; MultiScale Biotransport; Muscle, Tendon and Ligament; Musculoskeletal Devices; Multiscale Mechanics; Thermal Medicine; Ocular Biomechanics; Pediatric Hemodynamics; Pericellular Phenomena; Tissue Mechanics; Biotransport Design and Devices; Spine; Stent Device Hemodynamics; Vascular Solid Mechanics; Student Paper and Design Competitions ◽

10.1115/sbc2013-14261 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Sullivan ◽

Elizabeth DeBartolo ◽

Kathleen Lamkin-Kennard

Keyword(s):

Gait Pattern ◽

Primary Diagnosis ◽

Foot Drop ◽

Prediction System ◽

Prosthetic Device ◽

Walking Activity ◽

System 2 ◽

The Many ◽

Foot Orthotic ◽

Difficulty Walking

Nearly one million people in 2009 were discharged from the hospital with stroke as the primary diagnosis [1]. One of the many lasting side effects of a stroke can be foot drop, or an inability to dorsiflex the foot. In order to remedy this, many people wear an ankle-foot orthotic (AFO) post-stroke. Interviews with AFO users revealed that they frequently have difficulty walking on stairs and ramps, because the AFO limits the plantarflexion that is natural in navigating those ground types. An active AFO that adapts to changing ground terrain would provide a more natural gait pattern for these individuals, if it could be designed to respond appropriately to upcoming terrain. In order to respond to terrain, the device must first identify the terrain. This paper outlines a system [2] that simultaneously predicts the type of terrain a user is approaching as they walk, and captures information about that user’s walking activity. Such a system can be used as the control system for an active orthotic or prosthetic device. Additionally, this system can be used as a stand-alone gait and terrain monitor to aid in rehabilitation monitoring in between patient visits with a clinician.

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Surface electrical stimulation for foot drop: Control aspects and walking performance

Journal of Automatic Control ◽

10.2298/jac0802047s ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 47-52 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Richard Stein ◽

Robert Rolf ◽

Dirk Everaert ◽

Jacques Bobet ◽

Suling Chong

Keyword(s):

Electrical Stimulation ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Gait Pattern ◽

Foot Drop ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Ankle Foot Orthosis ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Walking Performance ◽

Over 40 Years

Use of electrical stimulation to correct foot drop in hemiplegia was proposed over 40 years ago. Recently, improved control strategies have been developed and implemented in commercially available devices. In this article we review the control methods that have been used and present some results from a multi-center clinical trial. A foot-drop stimulator improves the gait pattern and results in an immediate increase in walking speed. In this sense it acts like an ankle-foot orthosis and this immediate increase will be referred to as an orthotic effect. Prolonged use of a foot drop stimulator over a period of months results in further, large increases in walking speed both with the stimulator on and off. Evidence indicates that a part of this increase results from daily use that strengthens residual cortico-spinal connections. Therefore the improvement over time will be referred to as a therapeutic effect. We found that people with non-progressive and progressive conditions of the central nervous system have an orthotic benefit, as well as a therapeutic up to 3 months of use. In generally non-progressive conditions such as stroke, further therapeutic increases are seen up to at least 11 months of use. In disorders such as multiple sclerosis, the progression of the disease eventually overcomes the early therapeutic effects. In conclusion, many individuals can benefit from commercially available foot-drop stimulators with improved control strategies and cosmetic design.

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Rating Post-Operative Backs (Part I)

Guides Newsletter ◽

10.1001/amaguidesnewsletters.1997.julaug01 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 1-3

Author(s):

James B. Talmage

Keyword(s):

Spinal Stenosis ◽

Foot Drop ◽

Neurogenic Claudication ◽

Root Damage ◽

Fourth Edition ◽

Minor Strain ◽

Injury Model ◽

Strain Type ◽

A Minor ◽

Anterior Tibialis

Abstract The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, Fourth Edition, uses the Injury Model to rate impairment in people who have experienced back injuries. Injured individuals who have not required surgery can be rated using differentiators. Challenges arise when assessing patients whose injuries have been treated surgically before the patient is rated for impairment. This article discusses five of the most common situations: 1) What is the impairment rating for an individual who has had an injury resulting in sciatica and who has been treated surgically, either with chemonucleolysis or with discectomy? 2) What is the impairment rating for an individual who has a back strain and is operated on without reasonable indications? 3) What is the impairment rating of an individual with sciatica and a foot drop (major anterior tibialis weakness) from L5 root damage? 4) What is the rating for an individual who is injured, has true radiculopathy, undergoes a discectomy, and is rated as Category III but later has another injury and, ultimately, a second disc operation? 5) What is the impairment rating for an older individual who was asymptomatic until a minor strain-type injury but subsequently has neurogenic claudication with severe surgical spinal stenosis on MRI/myelography? [Continued in the September/October 1997 The Guides Newsletter]

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Influence of gait pattern on the body's centre of mass displacement in children with cerebral palsy

Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology ◽

10.1017/s0012162204001136 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 46 (10) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Firas Massaad ◽

Frédéric Dierick ◽

Adélaïde van den Hecke ◽

Christine Detrembleur

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Gait Pattern ◽

Centre Of Mass ◽

Children With Cerebral Palsy ◽

Mass Displacement

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Screening for Early Stages of Nigrostriatal Alteration (II): Gait Pattern in Healthy Subjects with Increased Echogenicity of the Substantia Nigra

Klinische Neurophysiologie ◽

10.1055/s-2004-831954 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 35 (03) ◽

Author(s):

U Dillmann ◽

S Behnke ◽

J Krämer ◽

CM Krick

Keyword(s):

Substantia Nigra ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Gait Pattern ◽

Early Stages

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A Modular Race Tire Model Concerning Thermal and Transient Behavior using a Simple Contact Patch Description

Tire Science and Technology ◽

10.2346/tire.13.410402 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 41 (4) ◽

pp. 232-246

Author(s):

Timo Völkl ◽

Robert Lukesch ◽

Martin Mühlmeier ◽

Michael Graf ◽

Hermann Winner

Keyword(s):

Load Distribution ◽

Thermal Condition ◽

Transient Behavior ◽

Wheel Load ◽

Contact Patch ◽

Fundamental Parameters ◽

Dry Conditions ◽

Simple Contact ◽

Tire Forces ◽

Descriptive Set

ABSTRACT The potential of a race tire strongly depends on its thermal condition, the load distribution in its contact patch, and the variation of wheel load. The approach described in this paper uses a modular structure consisting of elementary blocks for thermodynamics, transient excitation, and load distribution in the contact patch. The model provides conclusive tire characteristics by adopting the fundamental parameters of a simple mathematical force description. This then allows an isolated parameterization and examination of each block in order to subsequently analyze particular influences on the full model. For the characterization of the load distribution in the contact patch depending on inflation pressure, camber, and the present force state, a mathematical description of measured pressure distribution is used. This affects the tire's grip as well as the heat input to its surface and its casing. In order to determine the thermal condition, one-dimensional partial differential equations at discrete rings over the tire width solve the balance of energy. The resulting surface and rubber temperatures are used to determine the friction coefficient and stiffness of the rubber. The tire's transient behavior is modeled by a state selective filtering, which distinguishes between the dynamics of wheel load and slip. Simulation results for the range of occurring states at dry conditions show a sufficient correlation between the tire model's output and measured tire forces while requiring only a simplified and descriptive set of parameters.

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