Development of walking training support system for stroke hemiplegic patients using vibration stimulation and evaluation of lower limb EMG

• Project/Area Number: 16K01456
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: SUEYOSHI Yasuhiro 鹿児島大学, 総合科学域総合教育学系, 教授 (30196688)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 下堂薗 恵 鹿児島大学, 医歯学域医学系, 教授 (30325782)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2019)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥3,250,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥750,000)
• Keywords: 脳卒中 / 片麻痺 / 歩行訓練装置 / 振動刺激 / 歩行評価 / リハビリテーション / 筋電図 / 振動モータ / ウェアラブル / 歩行訓練

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Development of a walking training support device for stroke hemiplegic patients is an urgent issue in today's caregiver shortage. Although it is important to understand the gait improvement effect in gait training, EMG may be a more sensitive evaluation method of the degree of improvement. We developed a stroke hemiplegic gait training support system using functional vibration stimulation and examined its effect using electromyography. The subjects were made to walk on a walking path of 10 m, and a vibration stimulus was applied to the upper part, the central part, the lower part of the rectus femoris, or no stimulus was compared. The EMG items to be compared are the three items of the peak value within one step, the integrated value, and the average value. As a result, a significant increase in peak value was observed when a vibration stimulus was applied to the upper part of the rectus femoris.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

現在、脳卒中による後遺症の有病者数は約300万人といわれている。医療の発達により死亡率は下がってきてはいるが、依然として有病者数そのものは減っていない。「寝たきりになる原因」および介護が必要になった原因の第1位が脳卒中などの脳血管疾患である。その後遺症として片麻痺があり、脳卒中の中でも多い症状である。多くの片麻痺患者に歩行訓練が必要であるが、その際は介護者がつくことになる。歩行の回復には十分な訓練が必要であるが、介護者の不足により、訓練時間が制約を受けることになる。そのような状況で本研究のような歩行訓練支援システムができると、患者自ら訓練を行えるようになり、訓練効果が上がることが期待できる。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Immediate effects of functional vibratory stimulation on the gait of stroke hemiplegia patients (2016)
  • Author(s): Yasuhiro Sueyoshi, Megumi Shimodozono, Kazumi Kawahira, and Maki Yamashita
  • Journal Title: Journal of Neuroscience and Neuroengineering Volume: 4 Pages: 37-41
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] Does latency of motor-evoked potentials influence changes in decreased short-interval intracortical inhibition and scores of force control practice? (2019)
  • Author(s): MARUYAMA Atsuo, SATO Daisuke, YAMASHIRO Koya, KURIHARA Kenta, TOCHIKURA Ikumi, SUEYOSHI Yasuhiro, NURUKI Atsuo, ETOH Seiji
  • Organizer: SfN’s 49th Annual Meeting, Neuroscience 2019, October 19-23, Chicago, IL, USA.
  • Int'l Joint Research