Bionics Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
PLoS One. 2024 Jul 8;19(7):e0304665. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304665. eCollection 2024.
Understanding the pivoting neuromuscular control of the lower limb and its associated muscle properties is critical for developing diagnostic and rehabilitation tools. However, to the best of our knowledge, a device that can evaluate these factors simultaneously remains lacking. To address this gap, a device that can investigate pivoting neuromuscular control and associated muscle properties was developed in this study. The proposed device consisted of a pivoting mechanism and height-adjustable chair with a brace interface. The device can control a footplate at various speeds to facilitate pivoting stretching and quantify neuromuscular control. Time-synchronized ultrasonographic images can be acquired simultaneously to quantify muscle properties during both active and passive pivoting movements. The muscle displacement, fascicle length/displacement, pennation angle, pivoting stiffness, and pivoting instability were investigated using the proposed device. Further, the feasibility of the device was demonstrated through a cross-sectional study with healthy subjects. The proposed device successfully quantified changes in muscle displacement during passive and active pivoting movements, pivoting stiffness during passive movements, and neuromuscular control during active movements. Therefore, the proposed device is expected to be used as a research and therapeutic tool for improving pivoting neuromuscular control and muscle functions and investigating the underlying mechanisms associated between muscle properties and joint movement in the transverse plane.
了解下肢的枢轴神经肌肉控制及其相关肌肉特性对于开发诊断和康复工具至关重要。然而，据我们所知，仍然缺乏一种可以同时评估这些因素的设备。为了解决这一差距，本研究开发了一种可以研究枢轴神经肌肉控制和相关肌肉特性的设备。该设备由枢轴机构和高度可调的椅子以及支撑接口组成。该设备可以控制脚踏板以不同的速度进行枢轴拉伸，并量化神经肌肉控制。可以同时获取时间同步的超声图像，以在主动和被动枢轴运动期间量化肌肉特性。使用提出的设备研究了肌肉位移、肌束长度/位移、肌节角度、枢轴刚度和枢轴不稳定性。此外，通过对健康受试者的横断面研究证明了该设备的可行性。该设备成功地量化了被动和主动枢轴运动期间肌肉位移、被动运动期间枢轴刚度以及主动运动期间神经肌肉控制的变化。因此，预计该设备将被用作改善枢轴神经肌肉控制和肌肉功能的研究和治疗工具，并研究与肌肉特性和关节在横平面上的运动相关的潜在机制。
