Open AccessA neuromusculoskeletal model to simulate the isokinetic ankle dorsiflexion test of spasticity
Author(s) -
Wang Ruoli,
Ekeberg Örjan,
Fagergren Anders,
Gäverth Johan,
Forssberg Hans
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of foot and ankle research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.763
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 1757-1146
DOI - 10.1186/1757-1146-7-s1-a87
Subject(s) - medicine , ankle dorsiflexion , physical medicine and rehabilitation , spasticity , ankle , test (biology) , rehabilitation , physical therapy , anatomy , geology , paleontology
Spasticity is a motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes [1], commonly seen in many neurological disorders. Clinically, spasticity is measured by an examiner rotating a joint and simultaneously estimating the resistance according to an ordinal scale. However, the limited reliability of the measurement and the impossibility to discriminate between the underlying neural (stretch reflex) and non-neural (i.e. muscle mechanics) contributions have been the motivation to develop methods describing resistance joint torque quantitatively. The aim of this preliminary study is to develop a forward neuromusculoskeletal model consisting of the explicit musculotendon, muscle spindle, and motoneuron pool, which can simulate the passive isokinetic ankle dorsiflexion test of spasticity.