Studying the Impairment of Stroke and Sarcopenia Patients Using Maximum Voluntary Contractions of the Leg Joints.

N/AActive Not RecruitingNCT07465328

Vrije Universiteit Brussel42 enrolled

Overview

The goal of this study is to obtain the maximum voluntary torques of the lower-limb joints and to monitor oxygen level in the main lower-limb muscles. This will be done for three joints: i.e. the hip, knee and ankle joint and NIRS sensors will be placed on the biceps femoris, rectus femoris and gastrocnemius muscle. For the hip and knee, the maximum torque will be determined both in exertion direction and flexion direction. For the ankle, both plantarflexion and dorsiflexion will be considered. For each of these directions, the maximum joint torque will be defined for different specific joint angles and joint velocities (see procedure). For every joint and for the whole protocol for the torques measurement campaign, the different muscle of interest will be monitored with the NIRS, i.e. hip is associated with hamstring contraction, knee is associated with thigh contraction and ankle is associated with calf contraction. With these discrete points, an algorithm will be used to obtain a complete plot of the maximum torque in function of both joint angle and joint velocities. Comparing these plots between for example stroke and healthy individuals can help us understand what level of assistance stroke patients require. Comparison in oxygen level between healthy individuals and impairments population of stroke and sarcopenia patients can also help us investigate how oxygen is used depending on the population.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Sarcopenia

Interventions

MVC measurements of participantsOTHER

The protocol will be performed for six exertion directions for both legs: Hip Extension (HE), Hip Flexion (HF), Knee Extension (KE), Knee Flexion (KF), Plantar Flexion (PF) and Dorsi Flexion (DF). The protocol will be similar for each of these directions. The protocol described below will be performed for each joint. Position of subject during testing: * Ankle: hip flexed at 80° and knee flexed at 50° (in a seated position) * Knee: hip flexed at 70° (in a seated position) * Hip: done in a standing position. The knee slightly flexed with a knee immobilizer.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Post stroke patients: * Must be 18+ years old * Must be three months or more after stroke diagnosis * Have difficulties with gait (FAC level 3-4) Sarcopenia patients: * Must be 65+ years old * Not be able to perform five chair sit to stands within 15 seconds * Grip strength of less than 27 kg for men and less than 16 kg for females * Have difficulties with gait (SPPB ≤ 8) Healthy participants: • No physical injuries that limits the torque production in lower-limb joints

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Obtaining maximum voluntary torques of the lower-limb joints for sarcopenia and stroke patients

The goal is to determine the maximum torque that each joint can produce in an isostatic case in the sagittal plane. Not only the amount of torque but also at which joint angle this manifests are important parameters that we would like to use for the design process of an exoskeleton. Furthermore, we'd like to obtain the change in maximum torque when transferring from an isostatic test to an isokinetic test. The higher the joint velocity, the more the torque will decrease. However, how much is this decrease? We expect that the decrease for increased joint velocities in the targeted populations will differ compared to healthy individuals

Time frame: 2 years

Secondary Outcomes

Measuring muscle oxygenation

To determine the differences in oxygen delivery and consumption between healthy individuals, sarcopenia patients, and stroke patients. Studying these profiles will provide insights into how these impairments affect the muscle under investigation and how oxygenation dynamics behave throughout the experiment.