Affiliations: [a] Department of Electronic Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan | [b] Department of Management Information Systems, Hwa Hsia University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan | [c] School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan | [d] Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan | [e] Department of Digital Technology Design, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author: Yu-Luen Chen, Department of Digital Technology Design, National Taipei University of Education, No.134, Sec. 2, Heping E. Rd., Da-an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan. Tel.: +886 2 2732 1104; E-mail:allen@tea.ntue.edu.tw
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this study and should all be
considered first author.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Long-term, sustained progress is necessary in drop foot
rehabilitation. The necessary inconvenient body training movements, the
return trips to the hospital and repetitive boring training using functional
electrical stimulation (FES) often results in the patient suspending their
training. The patient's drop foot rehabilitation will not progress if
training is suspended.
OBJECTIVE: A fast spread, highly portable drop foot rehabilitation
training device based on the smart phone is presented. This device is
combined with a self-made football APP and feedback controlled FES. The drop
foot patient can easily engage in long term rehabilitation training that is
more convenient and interesting.
METHODS: An interactive game is established on the smart phone with
the Android system using the originally built-in wireless communications.
The ankle angle information is detected by an external portable device as
the game input signal. The electrical stimulation command to the external
device is supplemented with FES stimulation for inadequate ankle efforts.
RESULTS: After six-weeks training using six cases, the results
indicated that this training device showed significant performance
improvement (p< 0.05) in the patient's ankle dorsiflexion strength, ankle
dorsiflexion angle, control timing and Timed Up and Go.
CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results show that this training device
provides significant positive help to drop foot patients. Moreover, this
device is based on existing and universally popular mobile processing, which
can be rapidly promoted. The responses of clinical cases also show this
system is easy to operate, convenient and entertaining. All of these
features can improve the patient's willingness to engage in long term
rehabilitation.
Keywords: Stroke, smartphone, drop foot, portable, rehabilitation, FES
