title: Development of a home ankle exerciser.
abstract: A portable, lightweight home ankle exerciser was designed and built by the Biomedical Engineering Department of University Hospital in London, Ontario, Canada. The ankle exerciser incorporates several unique features that overcomes the drawbacks of exercise equipment presently available. For optimal muscle strengthening, the resistance offered by the device matches the strength curve of the ankle muscles. The magnitude of the resistance can be widely varied to accommodate any subject. Resistance is generated by a slip clutch rather than by springs or weights which can be cumbersome and potentially dangerous. One of the considerations in the design of the ankle exerciser was to monitor subject compliance with the exercise regimen. This is accomplished with a battery-operated monitoring unit mounted on the device. The exerciser is instrumented with a battery-powered torque transducer and digital display unit that enables the subject and assessor to monitor the exercise resistance level at a glance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Petrosenko
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vandervoort
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Chesworth
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000843:Ankle Joint / Q000502:physiology; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D004867:Equipment Design; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation*; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology