Assesment of spasticity via patellar pendulum and muscular-skeletal modelling

Abstract

Spasticity is a movement disorder developing after upper motor neuron lesion. It is the tonus increase associated with movement velocity of extremity muscles, and thus it affects the daily lives of patients. It is quite a common disease as it develops due to lesions in brain and spinal cord. This study defines the electrophysiological characteristics of Patellar T reflex and patellar pendulum which triggered by patellar T reflex. Spasticity changes the responses by utilizing movement features of knee joint during the reflex and pendulum. Muscular-Skeletal simulation is employed to validate and visualize spasticity condition by calculating muscular forces and activation levels compared to EMG data. Also the study attempts to develop a measurement method to be used in spasticity.