Evaluation of Skilled Leg Movements in Patients With Stroke Using a Computerized Motor-Skill Analyzer for the Lower Limb

Abstract

The utility of a new computerized motor-skill analyzer for the lower limb was studied in healthy subjects and patients with stroke. The computerized motor-skill analyzer for the lower limb evaluated accuracy in a figure-tracking task with the foot. The intraclass correlation coefficients of measurements in subjects were .61 to .89 (p < .01). The trajectory errors of the unaffected lower limb in stroke patients were negatively correlated with physical ability. Trajectory errors of the patients were significantly larger than those of the healthy subjects. These results suggest that the computerized motor-skill analyzer is useful for quantitatively evaluating motor-skills of the lower limb.

Impaired Visuo-Motor Skills in the Unaffected Lower Limb of Patients With Stroke

“…The reproducibility of the CMSA measurements were reported elsewhere (Kawahira, et al, 2005). Correlation coefficients in a linear regression analysis and the intraclass correlation coefficients for LT, TEg and TEidt between the 1st and 2nd CMSA measurements were r = .77 -.88 (p < .002), ri = .61-.89 (p < .002) in healthy control subjects, and r = .71-.82 (p < .001) and ri = .69-.74 for TEg (p < .001) in the unaffected lower limb of patients with stroke, respectively.…”

“…Recently, the authors developed a computerized device for quantitatively evaluating the motor skills (computerized motor skill analyzer; CMSA) for the lower limb (Kawahira et al, 2005). With this device, the subject is required to control a freely movable foot platform connected to a computer in order to trace a figure-eight shape on the display.…”

Examining Procedural Consolidation with Visuomotor Learning in the Lower Limb

“…The CMSA for the lower limb was independently developed, but provides sufficient reproducibility for use in clinical settings, and has been used in the evaluation of motor skills in the lower extremities of healthy subjects and stroke patients (Kawahira et al, 2005). The computer automatically calculated the mean lap time (LT, s) to trace the figure-eight, the geometric trajectory error (TEg, cm 2 ), which is the total area of the discrepancy between the foot marker and the figure-eight, and the integrated TE over time (TEidt, cm·s).…”

“…As a normal image, we used the figure-eight-tracking task of CMSA for the lower limb (Kawahira et al, 2005), which can evaluate the speed and the accuracy of movement in tracking tasks. The CMSA we used consists of a foot platform and a computer system (Figure 1).…”

“…(Kawahira et al, 2005). We chose the task of learning to track a figure-eight with the lower limb, which normally does not perform fine movements, to limit the effect of practice.…”