Leland Stanford Junior University

Caitlyn E Seim

Allison Mariko Okamura

Survivors of central nervous system injury commonly present with spastic hypertonia. The affected muscles are hyperexcitable and can display involuntary static muscle tone and an exaggerated stretch reflex. These symptoms affect posture and disrupt activities of daily living. Symptoms are typically measured using subjective manual tests such as the Modified Ashworth Scale; however, more quantitative measures are necessary to evaluate potential treatments. The hands are one of the most common targets for intervention, but few investigators attempt to quantify symptoms of spastic hypertonia affecting the fingers. An Isometric Force Pillow (IFP) is provided herein to quantify involuntary grip force. This lightweight, computerized tool provides a holistic measure of finger flexion force and can be used in various orientations for clinical testing and to measure the impact of assistive devices.

Growing community of inventors

Decatur, GA, United States of America

Caitlyn E Seim