Producing of a three-dimensional foot stretching using a one-degree-of-freedom machine

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K19403
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Aichi Medical College for Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Yamada Naomi 愛知医療学院短期大学, 理学療法学専攻, 講師 (40779071)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: ストレッチング機器 / 足部ストレッチング / 自動化 / 機器開発

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To reveal whether foot stretching machine can stretch the foot three-dimensionally, this study challenged to develop a method to evaluate the degree of stretch of the tibialis posterior muscle during dorsiflexion stretching. The tibialis posterior muscle, which runs spirally, that is three-dimensionally, in the deep layer of the posterior of the lower leg, was imaged using an ultrasound imaging system and changes of the muscle while dorsiflexion was investigated. As the results, as the dorsiflexion angle increased, the cross-section area of the muscle decreased. This demonstrated the possibility of evaluating the degree of stretch of the tibialis posterior muscle by investigating changes in the muscle cross-section area.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究において，機械運動軸を変更できる装置の作製および足部背屈ストレッチング中の後脛骨筋伸張度測定方法の検討を行うことができた．機械運動軸を変更するだけで足部を三次元的に制動できれば，複雑な治療を安価な機器で再現することが可能になる．また，これまで方法が確立されていなかった後脛骨筋伸張度測定に有効な指標が明らかになったことは，ストレッチング機器の開発においても，臨床における治療効果の検証においても大きな一助となり得る．