The development of a long, dual-platform triaxial walkway for the measurement of forces and temporal-spatial data in the clinical assessment of gait

Abstract

Force-plate measurement of the ground reaction force (GRF) has, for many years, been considered a vital component of the comprehensive assessment of human gait in the clinical context. For example, the data can be used in the adjustment of prostheses and orthoses and in identifying the mechanisms underlying a gait dysfunction. However, commercial force plates are usually only capable of measuring GRF data from one step in a single traverse. That can lead to problems of 'targeting' and, with less able subjects, fatigue before the necessary data have been collected. Previous work at the University of Surrey resulted in a prototype dual-platform force walkway capable of measuring the vertical component of the GRF and estimating the position of application of that force for multiple foot contacts in a single traverse. In addition, temporal-spatial information, e.g. speed and step length, could also be determined. This paper describes the development of a longer walkway that can measure the three orthogonal components of the GRF and provide and a more accurate estimate of the position of application of that force. Software to allow the rapid reduction of gait data to useful clinical information has also been developed.

Assessment and validation of a simple automated method for the detection of gait events and intervals

“…Ground reaction forces (GRF) were measured using two force platforms [9] sampled at 2000 Hz, re-sampled down to 60 Hz and synchronised with the marker system. The 3D coordinates of the markers were detected using a six camera 60 Hz MacReflex motion detection system (Qualisys Medi- cal AB, Partille, Sweden).…”

Muscle activity during stance phase of walking: Comparison of males with transfemoral amputation with osseointegrated fixations to nondisabled male volunteers

“…GRFs were collected using a 3.3 m dual-platform walkway developed at the Gait Laboratory (Queen Mary's Hospital; London, United Kingdom) [34] at a sampling rate of 2,000 Hz. Each subject was asked to perform three isometric contractions for 10 s for each of five muscles against resistance.…”

“…The average walking speed for both groups was computed from the force plate data by customized software developed at the Gait Laboratory [34]. Normalization of the gait speed relative to leg length was calculated according to Hof [35].…”

A vertical ground reaction force-measuring treadmill for the analysis of prosthetic limbs

“…In order to achieve that, the idea of a force platform system being placed under the belt of a treadmill was considered. Essentially consisting of a flat, rigid, rectangular upper plate on which the foot rests, this plate is supported by a base-frame with interposed force transducers capable of detecting the exchanged loads (Hynd et al, 2000).…”