The FreeD module’s lateral translation timing in the gait robot Lokomat: a manual adaptation is necessary

Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation

Research

Rob Labruyère¹  Tabea Aurich (-Schuler)¹  Florian van Dellen² 

[1]Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland

[2]Swiss Children’s Rehab, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Mühlebergstrasse 104, CH-8910, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland

[3]Children’s Research Center, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, CH-8032, Zurich, Switzerland

[4]Swiss Children’s Rehab, University Children’s Hospital Zurich, Mühlebergstrasse 104, CH-8910, Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland

[5]Sensory-Motor Systems Lab, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 1, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland

关键词: Robot-assisted gait therapy;    Trunk trajectory;    Center of mass displacement;    Weight shifting;    Pelvis movements;    Rehabilitation;    Marker-less motion system;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12984-023-01227-3

 received in 2022-06-15, accepted in 2023-07-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPelvic and trunk movements are often restricted in stationary robotic gait trainers. The optional FreeD module of the driven gait orthosis Lokomat offers a combined, guided lateral translation and transverse rotation of the pelvis and may therefore support weight shifting during walking. However, from clinical experience, it seems that the default setting of this timing does not correspond well with the timing of the physiological pelvic movement during the gait cycle. In the software, a manual adaptation of the lateral translation’s timing with respect to the gait cycle is possible. The aim of this study was to investigate if such an offset is indeed present and if a manual adaptation by the therapist can improve the timing towards a more physiological pattern comparable to physiological overground walking.Methods & ResultsChildren and adolescents with neurologic gait disorders and a Gross Motor Function Classification System level I-IV completed two different walking conditions (FreeD Default and FreeD Time Offset) in the Lokomat. The medio-lateral center of mass positions were calculated from RGB-Depth video recordings with a marker-less motion capture algorithm. Data of 22 patients (mean age: 12 ± 3 years) were analyzed. Kinematic analyses showed that in the FreeD Default condition, the maximum lateral center of mass excursion occurred too early. In the FreeD Time Offset condition, the manual adaptation by the therapists led to a delay of the maximum center of mass displacement by 8.2% in the first phase of the gait cycle and by 4.9% in the second phase of the gait cycle compared to the FreeD Default condition. The maximum lateral center of mass excursion was closer to that during physiological overground walking in the FreeD Time Offset condition than in the FreeD Default condition.ConclusionA manual adaptation of the timing of the FreeD module in the Lokomat shifts pelvis kinematics in a direction of physiological overground walking. We recommend therapists to use this FreeD Time Offset function to adjust the phase of weight shifting for each patient individually to optimize the kinematic walking pattern when a restorative therapy approach is adopted.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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