A new measurement and analysis method was proposed to investigate the changes in elbow joint moments that occur with the use of a front-wheeled walker. A strain gauge-based walker instrumentation system was developed ...A new measurement and analysis method was proposed to investigate the changes in elbow joint moments that occur with the use of a front-wheeled walker. A strain gauge-based walker instrumentation system was developed to monitor the hand loads during walker-assisted walking and integrated with an upper extremity biomechanical model. Preliminary system data were collected for 12 subjects following informed consent. Bilateral upper extremity kinematic data were acquired with a six-camera motion analysis system. Internal joint moments at the elbow were determined in the three clinical planes using the inverse dynamics method. Results showed that during a walker-assisted gait elbow joint moments mainly distributed in the walker stance period. There was a noted demand on the elbow extensor in the sagittal plane with the greatest record as 0.381 N·m/(kg·m). An interesting "bare phase" of mean elbow joint moments was also found in phase angle-240o-340o of gait cycle. Complete description of elbow joint moments of walker-assisted gait may provide insight into walker use parameters and rehabilitative strategies.展开更多
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 60501005)National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(No. 2007AA04Z236)Key Program of Tianjin Science and Technology Support Plan (No. 07ZCKFSF01300)
文摘A new measurement and analysis method was proposed to investigate the changes in elbow joint moments that occur with the use of a front-wheeled walker. A strain gauge-based walker instrumentation system was developed to monitor the hand loads during walker-assisted walking and integrated with an upper extremity biomechanical model. Preliminary system data were collected for 12 subjects following informed consent. Bilateral upper extremity kinematic data were acquired with a six-camera motion analysis system. Internal joint moments at the elbow were determined in the three clinical planes using the inverse dynamics method. Results showed that during a walker-assisted gait elbow joint moments mainly distributed in the walker stance period. There was a noted demand on the elbow extensor in the sagittal plane with the greatest record as 0.381 N·m/(kg·m). An interesting "bare phase" of mean elbow joint moments was also found in phase angle-240o-340o of gait cycle. Complete description of elbow joint moments of walker-assisted gait may provide insight into walker use parameters and rehabilitative strategies.
