Swing phase estimation in paralyzed persons walking

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Cikajlo, Imre^* | Bajd, Tadej

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Imre Cikajlo, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Tržaška 25, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Tel.: +386 1 4768 485; Fax: +386 1 4768 239; E-mail: imrec@robo.fe.uni-lj.si.

Abstract: In the paper we present the sensory system aimed for FES gait reeducation of incomplete spinal cord injured persons. The proposed system consists of four accelerometers, gyro and two goniometers placed along the shank of the paralyzed leg. The data assessed are input into mathematical algorithms estimating the swing phase quality. The estimation is based on swing phase detection and signal correlation and is used to determine the cognitive feedback signal. The feedback signal is delivered to the patient as an auditory signal. The preliminary measurements were performed in three healthy and two incomplete spinal cord injured persons with C6 and C6-7 lesion during treadmill walking. FES was manually triggered by a physiotherapist. The results have shown that the proposed multisensory system was successful in gait quality estimation. Therefore, the use of FES multisensory system and cognitive feedback could be an efficient rehabilitative approach in gait reeduction.

Keywords: multisensory system, sensory integration, swing phase, walking, spinal cord injury, gait reeducation, functional electrical stimulation

DOI: 10.3233/THC-2002-10506

Journal: Technology and Health Care, vol. 10, no. 5, pp. 425-433, 2002