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Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a vital method in neurorehabilitation used to reanimate paralyzed muscles, enhance the size and strength of atrophied muscles, and reduce spasticity. FES often leads to increased muscle fatigue, necessitating careful monitoring of the patient’s response. Ultrasound (US) imaging has been utilized to provide valuable insights into FES-induced fatigue by assessing changes in muscle thickness, stiffness, and strain. Current commercial FES electrodes lack sufficient US transparency, hindering the observation of muscle activity beneath the skin where the electrodes are placed. US-compatible electrodes are essential for accurate imaging and optimal FES performance, especially given the spatial constraints of conventional US probes and the need to monitor muscle areas directly beneath the electrodes. This study introduces specially designed body-conforming US-compatible FES (US-FES) electrodes constructed with a silver nanowire/polydimethylsiloxane (AgNW/PDMS) composite. We compared the performance of our body-conforming US-FES electrode with a commercial hydrogel electrode. The findings revealed that our US-FES electrode exhibited comparable conductivity and performance to the commercial one. Furthermore, US compatibility was investigated through phantom and in vivo tests, showing significant compatibility even during FES, unlike the commercial electrode. The results indicated that US-FES electrodes hold significant promise for the real-time monitoring of muscle activity during FES in clinical rehabilitative applications.
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An Ultrasound Imaging Based Observer for Estimating NMES-Induced Muscle Fatigue: Theory and Simulation
Abstract Neuroprosthetic devices that use transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) are potential interventions to restore skeletal muscle function in people with neurological disorders. As commonly noted, how to assess the NMES-induced muscle fatigue is a critical problem. This is because the capability of fatigue assessment is a necessary precursor for optimally modulating the NMES dosage to improve the control performance of a neuroprosthesis and ensure user’s safety. To effectively estimate the NMES-induced muscle fatigue, this paper proposes a novel state observer that combines a mathematical predictive fatigue model and intermittent feedback from ultrasound-derived strain images. The strain images quantify muscle contractility during NMES. Principal component regression (PCR) is used to derive a relationship between the strain images and instantaneous muscle force production. Lyapunov stability analysis was performed to obtain the convergence property of the designed observer. A globally uniformly ultimately bounded (GUUB) result was obtained. Simulations based on pre-recorded data from a human experiment were also conducted to demonstrate the performance of the designed observer.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1646009
- PAR ID:
- 10321599
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the ASME 2020 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference
- Volume:
- 1
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a potential neurorehabilitative intervention to enable functional movements in persons with neurological conditions that cause mobility impairments. However, the quick onset of muscle fatigue during FES is a significant challenge for sustaining the desired functional movements for more extended periods. Therefore, a considerable interest still exists in the development of sensing techniques that reliably measure FES-induced muscle fatigue. This study proposes to use ultrasound (US) imaging-derived echogenicity signal as an indicator of FES-induced muscle fatigue. We hypothesized that the US-derived echogenicity signal is sensitive to FES-induced muscle fatigue under isometric and dynamic muscle contraction conditions. Eight non-disabled participants participated in the experiments, where FES electrodes were applied on their tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. During a fatigue protocol under either isometric and dynamic ankle dorsiflexion conditions, we synchronously collected the isometric dorsiflexion torque or dynamic dorsiflexion angle on the ankle joint, US echogenicity signals from TA muscle, and the applied stimulation intensity. The experimental results showed an exponential reduction in the US echogenicity relative change (ERC) as the fatigue progressed under the isometric (R2=0.891±0.081) and dynamic (R2=0.858±0.065) conditions. The experimental results also implied a strong linear relationship between US ERC and TA muscle fatigue benchmark (dorsiflexion torque or angle amplitude), with R2 values of 0.840±0.054 and 0.794±0.065 under isometric and dynamic conditions, respectively. The findings in this study indicate that the US echogenicity signal is a computationally efficient signal that strongly represents FES-induced muscle fatigue. Its potential real-time implementation to detect fatigue can facilitate an FES closed-loop controller design that considers the FES-induced muscle fatigue.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Conference Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.1115/DSCC2020-3196
