Smartphone Assessment of the Sitting Heel-Rise Test
Gustavo O. Hoffmann,
Edilson Borba,
Eduardo H. Casarotto,
Gisele Francine Devetak,
Ramzi Jaber,
John G. Buckley,
André L. F. Rodacki
Affiliations
Gustavo O. Hoffmann
Centro de Estudos do Comportamento Motor, Departamento de Educação Física, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Coronel Heráclito dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba 19011, Paraná, Brazil
Edilson Borba
Centro de Estudos do Comportamento Motor, Departamento de Educação Física, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Coronel Heráclito dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba 19011, Paraná, Brazil
Eduardo H. Casarotto
Centro de Estudos do Comportamento Motor, Departamento de Educação Física, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Coronel Heráclito dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba 19011, Paraná, Brazil
Gisele Francine Devetak
Centro de Estudos do Comportamento Motor, Departamento de Educação Física, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Coronel Heráclito dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba 19011, Paraná, Brazil
Ramzi Jaber
Faculty of Engineering & Informatics, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
John G. Buckley
Faculty of Engineering & Informatics, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK
André L. F. Rodacki
Centro de Estudos do Comportamento Motor, Departamento de Educação Física, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Rua Coronel Heráclito dos Santos, 100, Centro Politécnico, Jardim das Américas, Curitiba 19011, Paraná, Brazil
The study presents a new approach for assessing plantarflexor muscles’ function using a smartphone. The test involves performing repeated heel raises for 60 s while seated. The seated heel-rise test offers a simple method for assessing plantarflexor muscles’ function in those with severe balance impairment who are unable to complete tests performed while standing. The study aimed to showcase how gyroscopic data from a smartphone placed on the lower limb can be used to assess the test. Eight participants performed the seated heel-rise test with each limb. Gyroscope and 2D video analysis data (60 Hz) of limb motion were used to determine the number of cycles, the average rise (T-rise), lowering (T-lower), and cycle (T-total) times. The number of cycles detected matched exactly when the gyroscope and kinematic data were compared. There was good time domain agreement between gyroscopic and video data (T-rise = 0.0005 s, T-lower = 0.0013 s, and T-total = 0.0017 s). The 95% CI limits of agreement were small (T-total −0.1118, 0.1127 s, T-lower −0.1152, 0.1179 s, and T-total −0.0763, 0.0797 s). Results indicate that a smartphone placed on the thigh can successfully assess the seated heel-rise test. The seated heel-rise test offers an attractive alternative to test plantarflexor muscles’ functionality in those unable to perform tests in standing positions.
