Measurement of torque during passive and active ankle movements in patients with muscle hypertonia. A methodological study.

Torque curves were recorded during passive and active ankle joint movements at three preset angular velocities (30, 60 and 120 degrees/s) with the subject in the supine position and 45 degrees hip and knee angles. Recordings were performed in normal subjects (n = 11), patients with clinical spasticity (n = 10) and patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 7). The torque curves recorded during passive dorsiflexion followed by plantar flexion showed a counterclockwise hysteresis loop with minimal area in the normal subjects and a large area in patients, especially at the highest velocity. The torque increase during dorsiflexion was proportional to the angular velocity in the patients with spasticity but not in the patients with Parkinson's disease. In the patients with spasticity, a good correlation was found between clinical assessment of hypertonia and measurements of torque during passive movements but not torque values during maximal voluntary dorsiflexion. A model for data reduction and estimation of instant slope values on different parts of the torque-angle curve is suggested. The use of ankle torque recordings for evaluation of treatment effects is exemplified.