Sudden changes in walking surface compliance evoke contralateral EMG in a hemiparetic walker: A case study of inter-leg coordination after neurological injury

Jeffrey Skidmore, Panagiotis Artemiadis

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Gait impairment due to neurological disorders is a significant problem around the world. Despite the growing interest in using robotic devices for gait rehabilitation, their widespread use remains limited as there is no clear evidence that robot-assisted gait therapy is superior to traditional treadmill-based therapy. This work is a case study that focuses on investigating the existence of mechanisms of inter-leg coordination after neurological injury, and based on that, proposing novel methods for gait rehabilitation. Using a novel robotic device, the Variable Stiffness Treadmill (VST), we apply perturbations to the compliance of the walking surface underneath the non-paretic leg, and analyze the response of the contralateral (paretic) leg. We show that muscle activity is evoked in the gastrocnemius of the paretic leg. From a clinical prospective, the results of this study can be disruptive because our methods provide a safe and targeted way to provide gait rehabilitation in hemiparesis since direct manipulation of the paretic side is not required. This work provides evidence for the first time that muscle activity can be evoked in the paretic leg of a hemiplegic walker in response to unilateral perturbations to the compliance of the walking surface, providing direction for targeted robot-assisted gait rehabilitation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publication2016 38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2016
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages4682-4685
Number of pages4
Volume2016-October
ISBN (Electronic)9781457702204
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 13 2016
Event38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2016 - Orlando, United States
Duration: Aug 16 2016Aug 20 2016

Other

Other38th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOrlando
Period8/16/168/20/16

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Signal Processing
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Health Informatics

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