The Assessment of Spasticity: Pendulum Test Based Smart Phone Movie of Passive Markers

Abstract

The pendulum test is the method for quantification of the level of spasticity in persons with spinal cord and brain injuries/diseases. The data for the assessment comes from the analysis of lower leg rotation in the sagittal plane while sitting caused by gravity. We built a simple instrument that uses the smart phone and passive markers for studying the pendulum movement of the leg. We compared the results of the new device with the results acquired with the conventional apparatus which uses a knee joint angle encoder and inertial sensors mounted on the upper and lower leg. The differences of parameters estimated from the test between the two systems are in the range of 5%, which is in the same range as the precision of the positioning of the pendulum apparatus on the leg. The new system is simple for the application (donning, doffing, setup time, accuracy, repeatability) and allows a straightforward interpretation to a clinician.