Muscle-tendon Interaction in the Spastic Sural Triceps During Gait

Details

Primary Objective: Evaluate the respective contributions of the gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscle and the Achilles tendon (AT) within the muscle-tendon unit (MTU) during the single support phase of walking in post-stroke patients compared to healthy subjects. Study Description: Strokes often lead to spastic paresis, degrading patients' walking performance. Instrumented gait analysis allows for the evaluation of these performances to propose adapted therapeutic strategies. This project will compare muscle and tendon behavior during walking between healthy individuals and post-stroke patients. Methodology: * Participants: Adult post-stroke patients or incomplete SCI patients with voluntary motor function on the triceps surae and walking capacity. Control group composed of healthy adults. * Procedures: * Measure the force/length profile of the GM on an isokinetic dynamometer with simultaneous ultrasound. * Conduct gait analysis coupled with ultrasound to measure the lengths of the AT and GM. * Compare muscle and tendon length data during the stance phase of the gait cycle between the two groups.