Simple Geometrical Analysis Method during Ankle Joint Stretching Treatment

Abstract

In this paper, a method of simple geometrical analysis method during ankle joint stretching treatment using numerical calculation was proposed, and the effect was examined in a developed system. The stretching of the ankle joint is an important medical treatment that physical therapist (PT’s) help their patients to recover their ability to walk and to prevent contracture. Since the ankle treatment requires a large amount of force (nearly equal to the subject’s weight) and precise angle control at the same time, manual treatment by PTs has not been replaced by mechanical treatment systems and the mechanism of the treatment has not been analyzed mathematically. In order to realize developing the effective mechanism of the treatment, the geometrical relationships between Ankle joint, Hip joint, Thenar and pushing device rotation center were analyzed mathematically by using numerical calculation during the treatment. In addition, the effectiveness of the numerical calculation was confirmed by developing the treatment device by using two of force sensors and DC motors. Key point of the PTs method of the ankle joint treatment was a position layout between the Ankle joint and the pushing device rotation center. The proposed numerical calculation method will effectively work to develop the mechanical systems of ankle joint stretching treatment.