Active Hip Orthosis for Assisting the Training of the Gait in Hemiplegics

Abstract

The gait restoration is a significant component of the rehabilitation of patients with hemiplegia after central nervous system lesion. The typical symptom of the disability is the lack of hip extension during the stance phase and hip flexion during the swing phase of the affected leg; therefore, asymmetry and perturbed balance while walking. We developed a new modular orthosis for assisting hip flexion and extension during the therapeutic sessions of the gait in hemiplegic individuals based on thorough analysis of the gait characteristics of normal gait. The system is designed to fit into the powered postural controller Walkaround®. The system is developed based on the estimation of torque and power requirement for the gait at speeds up to 1.1 m/s. The model used for the simulation is a known double pendulum in the sagittal plane. The kinematics and dynamics used as the input for the simulation have been recorded in the gait laboratory with eight cameras and force platforms. The system needs to be clinically evaluated before it possibly can be turned into innovation.