Motion Analysis of Patients With Stroke During Obstacle Crossing With and Without Hinged Ankle-Foot Orthoses
Date Issued
2005
Date
2005
Author(s)
Ho, Hao-Chun
DOI
en-US
Abstract
Objective: The aims of this study were to analyze the kinematics effects of ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) and electromyographic (EMG) activities during obstacle crossing in subjects with stroke to understand the clearance and the movement control pattern.
Method: Eleven subjects with stroke (mean age: 52.36 y.o.) who were able to walk independently for 10 m were recruited in this study. They were instructed to perform 4-cm high obstacle crossing with and without hinged AFO. The Vicon motion analysis system (Oxford, UK) was used to obtain the kinematic data. The Gould polygraph was used to collect the surface EMG of bilateral lower extremities. The obstacle clearance, center of mass (COM) displacement, COM peak velocity, joint angles, and the EMG co-contraction ratio of the crossing limb were calculated.
Results: The obstacle clearance reduced significantly both in lead-limb (t(10)=2.320, p<0.05) and trail-limb (t(10)=3.313, p<0.01) of subjects during crossing with AFO. The Medial-Lateral COM displacement was significantly increased while affected limb in stance with AFO (t(10)=4.236, p<0.01). The vertical COM displacements reduced significantly both in affected trail-limb crossing (t(10)=2.859, p<0.05) and in stance (t(10)=2.295, p<0.05) with AFO. The hip, knee, and ankle joint angles and co-contraction ratio of the affected lead-limb and trail-limb were not significantly different between hemiplegic subjects with and without AFO during crossing. Conclusion: When hemiplegic subjects cross with AFO, the obstacle clearance and the COM displacement are different from those without AFO. The application of AFO on hemiplegic subjects results in the reduction of body elevation which may decrease the energy cost during obstacle crossing. Furthermore, the support from AFO may increase the stability of the affected limb in stance during unaffected lead-limb crossing.
Subjects
中風
半側偏癱
踝足矯具
跨越障礙物
Stroke
Hemiplegia
Obstacle
Ankle-foot orthosis
Type
other