Real-time rehabilitation system of systems for monitoring the biomechanical feedbacks of the musculoskeletal system

Abstract

Functional rehabilitation aims at recovering the locomotion dysfunction of the human body by the physical therapy. The objective of this present study was to develop a system of systems (SoS) for monitoring the biomechanical feedbacks of the musculoskeletal system during the rehabilitation exercises. Wireless sensors (Kinect camera sensor, Shimmer kinematics and Electromyography (EMG) sensors) coupled with a biomechanical model was used to supervise the joint kinematics, muscle forces and joint contact area of the musculoskeletal system of the human body. A calculation time reduction strategy for joint contact area analysis was established to reach the constraints of real time simulation. A pilot case study was applied on a patient with post-polio residual paralysis. Joint kinematics and contact area at the knee level were supervised during flexion motion using video-based non-contact Kinect sensor. For the first time, an enhanced rigid multi-bodies model integrating joint contact area behavior was used for a rehabilitation purpose. Our system would be of great interest in the supervision of physical therapy exercises in non-clinical environments (e.g. rehabilitation at home).