Article

Modeling the foot is challenging due to its complex structure compared to most
other body segments. To analyze the biomechanics of the foot, portable devices
have been designed to allow measurement of temporal, spatial, and pedobarographic
parameters. The goal of this study was to design and evaluate a portable system
for kinematic and dynamic analysis of the foot during gait. This device consisted
of a force plate synchronized with four cameras and integrated into a walkway.
The complete system can be packaged for transportation. First, the measurement
system was assessed using reference objects to evaluate accuracy and precision.
Second, nine healthy participants were assessed during gait trials using both the
portable and Vicon systems (coupled with a force plate). The ankle and
metatarsophalangeal (MP) joint angles and moments were computed, as well as the
ground reaction force (GRF). The intra- and inter-subject variability was
analyzed for both systems, as well as the inter-system variation. The accuracy
and precision were, respectively 0.4 mm and 0.4 mm for linear values and 0.5
degrees and 0.6 degrees for angular values. The variability of the portable and
Vicon systems were similar (i.e., the inter-system variability never exceeded 2.1
degrees , 0.081 Nmkg(-1) and 0.267 Nkg(-1) for the angles, moments and GRF,
respectively). The inter-system differences were less than the inter-subject
variability and similar to the intra-subject variability. Consequently, the
portable system was considered satisfactory for biomechanical analysis of the
foot, outside of a motion analysis laboratory.
CI - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS