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Project

Understanding underlying mechanisms of impaired dynamic balance control during walking post-stroke through a blended experimental and computational approach.

Every year over 10,000 people suffer from a stroke in Belgium, leading to decreased quality of life due to reduced mobility and social isolation.A stroke is a (sub)cortical lesion caused by a clot (ischemic stroke) or a ruptured vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).Stroke survivors who remain ambulant often have trouble maintaining dynamic balance during walking, as the central lesions cause impairments in muscle coordination, muscle function and sensory function.These deficits make people post-stroke unstable and less robust against balance perturbations.Although post-stroke gait rehabilitation and treatment are constantly innovated, the outcome of treatment is very variable and has stagnated for decades, which may be due to a lack of understanding of underlying mechanisms of impairments in dynamic balance during walking in stroke. Insight in these underlying mechanisms (e.g. muscle coordination, muscle function and sensory function) can be gained with predictive neuromusculoskeletal simulations, where isolated effects and interactions of underlying mechanisms can be assessed. Therefore, in this project, we will develop neuromusculoskeletal models to make predictive simulations of dynamic balance control during walking post-stroke. Furthermore, we will provide proof-of-concept for a simulation platform to predict treatment outcome post-stroke, by developing a simulation framework that can predict the effect of AFO use on dynamic balance during walking in stroke.
Datum:1 okt 2020 →  30 sep 2021
Trefwoorden:Stroke, Walking, Balance, Neuromusculoskeletal modelling, Predictive simulations
Disciplines:Biomechanica, Revalidatie