TITLE:
Towards a Methodology for the Differential Analysis in Human Locomotion: A Pilot Study on the Participation of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis
AUTHORS:
Huiying Yu, Thompson Sarkodie-Gyan
KEYWORDS:
Ground Reaction Forces; EMG Muscle Activities; Multiple Scelorsis; Segmental Accelerations; Kinetic and Kinematics Measurement; Fuzzy Relation Matrix; Fuzzy Similarity
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.4 No.10B,
January
16,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease
of the central nervous system that can range from relatively benign to somewhat
disabling to devastating, as communication between the brain and other parts of
the body is disrupted. Scientists have learned a great deal about MS in recent
years; yet still, its cause remains elusive. This paper intends to investigate
the hypothesis that gait dynamics have meaning and may be useful in providing
insight into the neural control of locomotion. It further seeks to explore the
mutual interactions and influences of MS functions on gait, and vice versa, in
a quantitative and robust fashion. Ground reaction forces (GRFs), muscle
activities, and segmental accelerations within a gait cycle were analyzed in
this study. Patterns of the signals from six relapsing-remitting multiple
sclerosis (RRMS) patients were compared with the healthy subjects. This
quantitative gait analysis aids to illuminate a better understanding of the
mobility-related disease such as RRMS characteristics. An outcome of this study
is a reproducible methodology for helping therapists make reliable and
differentiable diagnosis, design a tailored therapeutic strategy, and comfortably
evaluate the follow-ups on patient’s functional recovery.