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Hello Everyone,
Garth Johnson's request for information about spasticity
measurement prompted me to just broadcast this message about my project.
I am studying for a masters degree in biomedical engineering at the
University of Surrey. I am doing my research project on the measurement
of spasticity in the lower leg muscles of stroke patients who are
using functional electrical stimulation to correct 'dropped-foot'. A
long title but most scientific research has to be identified in detail
I guess.
I am using passive movement of the ankle to elicit the stretch
reflex response. I am getting there, but, there is still so much I
have to learn about the intricacies of spasticity and its measurement.
For my project, I actually have to design and build a clinical test
rig. I am using a motor driven footplate which will be driven at
constant angular speeds. I am trying to initially measure the torque
by monitoring the current demanded by the motor since a force
transducer/load cell would be much too expensive for my meager
project budget.
I'd just like to know if anyone had any experience in building
a rig from scratch and taking measurements with load cell/force transducers
or by monitoring the current into the motor. Any other comments ?????
Thanks for your attention,
Mary Hannan
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering Group
University of Surrey
mem1mh@surrey.ac.uk
Garth Johnson's request for information about spasticity
measurement prompted me to just broadcast this message about my project.
I am studying for a masters degree in biomedical engineering at the
University of Surrey. I am doing my research project on the measurement
of spasticity in the lower leg muscles of stroke patients who are
using functional electrical stimulation to correct 'dropped-foot'. A
long title but most scientific research has to be identified in detail
I guess.
I am using passive movement of the ankle to elicit the stretch
reflex response. I am getting there, but, there is still so much I
have to learn about the intricacies of spasticity and its measurement.
For my project, I actually have to design and build a clinical test
rig. I am using a motor driven footplate which will be driven at
constant angular speeds. I am trying to initially measure the torque
by monitoring the current demanded by the motor since a force
transducer/load cell would be much too expensive for my meager
project budget.
I'd just like to know if anyone had any experience in building
a rig from scratch and taking measurements with load cell/force transducers
or by monitoring the current into the motor. Any other comments ?????
Thanks for your attention,
Mary Hannan
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering Group
University of Surrey
mem1mh@surrey.ac.uk