Measuring Muscle Force in Rehabilitation Robots
Author Information
Author(s): Marc Bolliger, Raphael Banz, Volker Dietz, Lars Lünenburger
Primary Institution: Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
Hypothesis
Can a new method for assessing isometric muscle force in lower extremities using a driven gait orthosis demonstrate reliable results?
Conclusion
The new assessment method for measuring maximal voluntary isometric muscle force of lower extremities is reliable and can be used to document and control the rehabilitation process.
Supporting Evidence
- The new method showed fair to good reliability for measuring isometric muscle force.
- Inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.66 to 0.97 for subjects with neurological movement disorders.
- In subjects without neurological deficits, inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.72 to 0.97.
Takeaway
This study shows a new way to measure how strong your leg muscles are while using a special robot that helps you walk, and it works well.
Methodology
Participants were tested for inter- and intra-rater reliability using a driven gait orthosis on two separate days by different therapists.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the learning effect or fatigue from repeated testing.
Limitations
The method may not be suitable for strong individuals who can push the device out of position.
Participant Demographics
16 subjects without neurological deficits (mean age 25.7 years, all women) and 14 subjects with neurological movement disorders (mean age 53.5 years, 6 women, 8 men).
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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