Motion Capture Technology as a Tool for Quantitative Assessment of the Rehabilitation Progress of Gait by Using Soft Orthoses

The paper presents a research methodology concerning the progress of rehabilitation of children aged 3-6 with musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of the study is both to perform the quantitative analysis of the gait of children and to verify if the soft orthosis improves their movement. For each child, experiments are carried out every three months. A passive optical motion capture technology is used as a tool to assess both the quality of gait and the progress of rehabilitation. On the basis of the obtained data, gait parameters are calculated with the use of specially developed algorithms and software. The analysed parameters concerning lower limbs are: step number, step length, step duration, gait velocity, maximum and minimum height of toes and ankles for both feet. The proposed methodology enables the quantitative analysis of gait improvement which may be treated as a supplement to the quality methods used by physiotherapists. The obtained results show improvement of analysed gait parameters.