Development of the Inspection System for Myotonic Symptoms in the Elbow during Passive Motion

概要

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In order to improve a rehabilitation scheme of the hemiplegic upper limb after a stroke, it is necessary to develop the inspection system which can evaluate quantitatively myotonic symptoms and muscle stiffness in the hemiplegic upper limb. The resistance force generated by the muscle in the hemiplegic upper limb is noticeable in a fast passive motion. In the inspection of myotonic symptoms in the elbow, the target elbow should be moved quickly during passive flexion and extension. Then the resistance force during passive elbow flexion and extension can be measured by use of a load cell. In this paper, we develop the passive motion apparatus with safety features for the inspection of myotonic symptoms in the elbow. And we propose the scheme for quantitative evaluation of the myotonic symptoms in consideration of the inertia force due to the acceleration of the upper limb. Then the feasibility of the proposed system is verified through several inspections.