Validity of the Electric Spastic Ankle Measure for Ankle Spasticity

We developed the Electric Spastic Ankle Measure (E-SAM) device that may assess ankle spasticity objectively and quantitatively. In this report, the relation between MAS and the portable measurements of spasticity by using the E-SAM following stroke was investigated. 114 stroke patients from 7 hospitals and 88 normal individuals participated in the study. In the E-SAM system, the lower extremity, as a result of its weight, drop from an initial position of 10° of ankle plantarflexion to 5° of dorsiflexion. Torque and angle data are recorded on the computer. The absolute value of the dorsiflexion peak torques was lower among the subjects with stroke (-26.83 ± 1.02 Nm (mean ± standard error (SE)) than among with normal subjects (-31.55± 1.47 Nm) (P MAS1+ > MAS1 group (ANOVA, Games Howell, P< .05). Only in dorsiflexion, the absolute value of the peak torque was lower among the patients over one year after onset than among patients within one year (P< 0.01). These findings suggest that the E-SAM has a construct validity and an ability to quantitate and isolate the viscoelastic and spastic/reflexive components of a subject's response.