Innovative treatment for proprioceptive dysfunction
Proprioception is an important and complex sensory perception. Simply put, it helps to sense the position, posture, and movement of a person’s body in relationship to the space they occupy. A proprioceptive dysfunction also affects the gait pattern. With STAPPONE Medical such disorders can be objectively visualized and support training.
Proprioceptive dysfunction can severely affect a person’s ability to walk. The patient has “no or only faulty feedback about the body position and the position of the extremities in space […]. Information about available ground contact may be equally incorrect. “¹
Patients with such a condition can feel very insecure. It can also quickly lead to falls because patients can hardly feel when they have transferred the body weight to the supporting leg.² The patient loses confidence in his own movement because he can no longer perceive it.
Problems in recognizing proprioceptive dysfunction
It is often difficult for a therapist to recognize proprioceptive dysfunction. Since it cannot be observed exactly, the patient is often not checked for it. However, even with minor sensory impairment, the gait becomes “slow and cautious”³.
Another problem is the classification of the assessment of proprioceptive dysfunction. Although, it is a sensitive subject, the classification of the assessment is quite crude as it consists only of the three grades of normal, limited, and absent.4
This involves observing the errors in test items and then determining the degree of disturbance. Previously, this was only possible in this very subjective and imprecise way. STAPPONE Medical offers a fast and objective alternative.
STAPPONE Medical as an innovative solution
STAPPONE Medical consists of the intelligent stappone sensor soles and the corresponding software. The soles are simply inserted into comfortable shoes (e.g., sports shoes) and measure the patient’s foot pressure load. The corresponding software provides live biofeedback on foot pressure load and other movement-related parameters, such as stride length, cadence, and walking speed.
It makes it possible to perform gait analyses quickly and objectively, without a laboratory, and to conclude based on the data that the proprioception is disturbed. With STAPPONE Medical therapists have a valuable tool for “careful testing and a clear, critical assessment”5, which is very important when detecting a proprioceptive dysfunction.
Patients who suffer from proprioceptive dysfunction finally have a supportive reference through live biofeedback. With STAPPONE Medical they recognize when they place their foot on the floor and where they distribute the pressure. This gives them confidence back and helps with exercises.
Do you have questions about the use of stappone Medical? Contact us! We are always at your disposal.
Find us on LinkedIn and become part of our community! We keep you updated about stappone, medicine and technology!
¹ Götz-Neumann, Kirsten. Gehen verstehen. Ganganalyse in der Physiotherapie. S. 115
² ebd.
³ Götz-Neumann, Kirsten. Gehen verstehen. Ganganalyse in der Physiotherapie. S. 116
4 Götz-Neumann, Kirsten. Gehen verstehen. Ganganalyse in der Physiotherapie. S. 116
5 Götz-Neumann, Kirsten. Gehen verstehen. Ganganalyse in der Physiotherapie. S. 116
