Computerized Functional Reach Test to Measure Balance Stability in Elderly Patients With Neurological Disorders.

Background: The ability to maintain static and dynamic balance is a prerequisite for safe walking and for obtaining functional mobility. For this reason, a reliable and valid means of screening for risk of falls is needed. The functional reach test (FRT) is used in many countries, yet it does not provide some kinematic parameters such as shoulder or pelvic girdles translation.

Changes of psychical and physical conditions in the elderly after a four-year follow-up.

The elderly show a loss of both the intellectual functions and of motion ability. This happens also without particular pathologies; possible tests to highlight this loss are the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Functional Reach (FR)-test. During 2004-2005 winter 50 healthy subjects were analyzed; the subjects were divided into three age-groups: from 55 to 64 years; from 65 to 74 years; over 75 years of age.

Decline of physical and cognitive conditions in the elderly measured through the functional reach test and the mini-mental state examination.

There are several tests used to evaluate the psychophysical characteristics of the elderly and, of these, the most suitable are the functional reach (FR) test, an index of the aptitude to maintain balance in an upright position, and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), a global index of cognitive abilities. The sample of elderly people we analyzed involved 50 healthy subjects divided into three age-groups (15 subjects from 55 to 64 years, 19 from 65 to 74 years, and 16 over 75 years of age); they underwent an FR test, which consists first in the measurement of the anthropometric characteristics, then in the execution of the test itself, and finally in the study of the upright posture by the analysis of the center of pressure (COP) trend; they underwent an MMSE as well to evaluate the main areas of the cognitive function concerning space-time orientation, short-term memory, attention ability, calculation ability and constructive praxis. The results of these tests show, according to the age of the subject, a loss of physical performance (FR, FR related to height, and COP displacement), as well as a loss of cognitive abilities; however, in all cases the only significant changes are those between the first and the other two age-groups.

Slip sensors for the control of the grasp in functional neuromuscular stimulation.

In this paper we present the results of research on the role of slip and force sensors in the control of grasp by means of functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) when applied to plegic subjects. From our study, it emerged that a reliable control strategy can be more efficiently based on the slip signal than on the signal related to the force exerted by the fingers. A prototype system involving both slip detectors, realized by means, of inductive transducers, and force sensors has been designed.

Measurements of cross-sectional area of collagen structures (knee ligaments) by means of an optical method.

Measurement methods of cross-sectional area of collagen tissues and structures, so far chosen, are critically reviewed. A new optical method, founded on section outline plotting, by which it is easy to compute the cross-sectional area, is suggested and shown in particular. Experimental results, achieved by applying the method to the measurement of bovine knee ligament sections, are reported; these results are compared with those taken from samples coming from the same ligaments.