This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Mazzoleni S, Van Vaerenbergh, J, Stokes E, Fazekas G, Dario P, Guglielmelli E

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Mazzoleni S, Van Vaerenbergh, J, Stokes E, Fazekas G, Dario P, Guglielmelli E. An ergonomic modular foot platform for isometric force/torque measurements in poststroke functional assessment: A pilot study. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2012;49(6):949–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2011.03.0059

Slideshow ProjectDOI:10.1682/JRRD.2011.03.0059JSP

An ergonomic modular foot platform for isometric force/torque

measurements in poststroke functional assessment: A pilot study

Stefano Mazzoleni, PhD; Jo Van Vaerenbergh, PhD; Emma Stokes, PhD; Gábor Fazekas, MD, PhD; Paolo Dario, PhD; Eugenio Guglielmelli, PhD



• Aim– Present design, technical development, and

preliminary validation of innovative mechatronic device for force/torque (F/T) measurements of isometric exercises taken from human foot using pilot data.

• Relevance– Functional assessment of foot motor performance

and its rehabilitation after neurological injuries represents fundamental stage for recovery of activity of daily living tasks, essential for independent living.



Methods• 5 subacute stroke, 5 nondisabled subjects.– Evaluated using Fugl-Meyer (FM) lower-limb subscore and Motor

Assessment Scale (MAS) subscores.

• Requirements for functional platform:– Separately measure F/T data from whole foot and great toe from

subject seated on wheelchair.– Easy and quick to adjust per anthropometrical features.– Usable on both sides.– Minimum operator time and physical effort.– Low height.– Records measurements from different postures.– Modular.



Results• Platform was incorporated into Alladin Diagnostic Device,

capable of measuring F/T data from eight body districts during isometric exercises.

• F/T ranges comply with available data.• Foot and great toe sensors were accurate enough to

consider different anthropometrical sizes and weights.• Increasing trend in F/T values between admission and

discharge accompanied by increased FM and MAS scores. • Preliminary comparison between stroke and nondisabled

subjects showed that different trends can be observed because of high intersubject variability.



Conclusions

• Ergonomic features of platform facilitate operator’s job in terms of time and physical effort.

• We suggest that measurements of ground reaction forces taken from foot of poststroke patient during initiation of activities of daily living tasks can provide information about motor recovery and enlighten possible areas of application, ranging from isometric motor exercise in neurorehabilitation to foot-based human-machine interface.

Documents

This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows: Mazzoleni S, Van Vaerenbergh, J, Stokes E, Fazekas G, Dario P, Guglielmelli E