Rehab Centers: Does Perceptual-Motor Calibration Generalize Across Two Different Forms of Locomotion? Investigations of Walking and Wheelchairs.
Does Perceptual-Motor Calibration Generalize across Two Different Forms of Locomotion? Investigations of Walking and Wheelchairs.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
PLoS One. 2013; 8(2): e54446
Kunz BR, Creem-Regehr SH, Thompson WB
The relationship between biomechanical action and perception of self-motion during walking is typically consistent and well-learned but also adaptable. This perceptual-motor coupling can be recalibrated by creating a mismatch between the visual information for self-motion and walking speed. Perceptual-motor recalibration of locomotion has been demonstrated through effects on subsequent walking without vision, showing that learned perceptual-motor coupling influences a dynamic representation of one’s spatial position during walking. Our present studies test whether recalibration of wheelchair locomotion, a novel form of locomotion for typically walking individuals, similarly influences subsequent wheelchair locomotion. Furthermore, we test whether adaptation to the pairing of visual information for self-motion during one form of locomotion transfers to a different locomotion modality. We find strong effects of perceptual-motor recalibration for matched locomotion modalities – walking/walking and wheeling/wheeling. Transfer across incongruent locomotion modalities showed weak recalibration effects. The results have implications both for theories of perceptual-motor calibration mechanisms and their effects on spatial orientation, as well as for practical applications in training and rehabilitation.
HubMed – rehab
Innovating alongside designers.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Australas Med J. 2013; 6(1): 29-35
McDonagh D, Thomas J
Building alliances with industrial designers offers health innovators a unique pathway to create new modes to serve their patients. Cross-pollination of ideas from the earliest stages of development in interdisciplinary research and development teams including major stakeholders and designers can lead to more meaningful and impactful innovations.A shift in future healthcare from cure to prevention will rely more heavily upon the individual. The home environment will house consumer medical devices that will carry out basic monitoring of the individual. While technologies are currently being developed to support this trend, there is a gulf that exists between the often-complex interfaces required by the highly specific functionality of products and the emotional needs of the target user. If a target user ‘feels’ a product was designed ‘just for them’ they are more likely to develop an emotional bond with that product. This manifests itself in the user engaging and interacting with the product. If a product, regardless of its high functionality, does not resonate with the user, this tends to result in product underuse, misuse and possible abandonment. When those products are related to a course of medical rehabilitation or treatment, these results could be translated to ‘more compliant’ and ‘less compliant’ and ultimately can impact upon how a person heals.Industrial designers focus on ensuring that both the functional and emotional needs of mainstream users as well as technical-expert-users are met. Design research provides the opportunity to bridge the gap between the functional requirements and the less tangible unmet needs of the user by exploring authentic human behaviour.This paper presents case studies of collaborative, interdisciplinary teams employing human-centred design and empathic research strategies (incorporating shared language, collaboration, ethnography, empathy and empathic modelling) to create real solutions that are responding to real needs of real users.The future is interdisciplinary. The future is bright.
HubMed – rehab
Cardiac rehabilitation mortality trends: how far from a true picture are we?
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Heart. 2013 Feb 19;
Doherty P, Rauch G
Reliability of spike triggered averaging of the surface electromyogram for motor unit action potential estimation.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Muscle Nerve. 2013 Feb 20;
Hu X, Rymer WZ, Suresh NL
Introduction: The reliability of estimated motor unit parameters using spike triggered averaging (STA) of the surface electromyogram (sEMG) has not been tested thoroughly. We investigated factors that may induce amplitude bias in estimated motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) and shape variations. Methods: An sEMG record was simulated. MUAPs were then estimated from the STA of the simulated EMG. Results: Variations in MUAP duration led to under-estimation of real MUAP amplitude, while synchronized firing led to over estimation of amplitude. Spurious firing resulted in over estimation of the amplitude of small motor units but under estimation of the amplitude of large ones. Variability in amplitude and high firing rates had minimal influence on amplitude estimation. High firing rates and variation in MUAP duration led to large variations in MUAP shape. Estimation errors also correlated with shape variations. Conclusions: Recommendations to enhance the accuracy of the STA estimates have been proposed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
HubMed – rehab
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