Abstract
A very real need has existed for the development of simple, inexpensive, and yet functionally significant gait assessment systems that could be used in clinical practice. This paper describes a new scheme for data processing of the signals from a simple foot-force measuring device previously reported by the authors.
Only vertical forces exerted on the fore-foot and the heel are measured continuously. From these signals, the muscle moment acting on the ankle, and the center of pressure in one foot and in both feet are calculated. Thus, information on the muscle activities at the ankle and on the transfer of body weight in the progressional direction is derived.
A brief description of the mathematical background is given first, and the clinical relevance of this method is discussed with several illustrations of preliminary results on normal and pathological subjects.
