A Virtual Reality—Based Exercise System for Hand Rehabilitation Post-Stroke

2005 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei V. Adamovich ◽  
Alma S. Merians ◽  
Rares Boian ◽  
Jeffrey A. Lewis ◽  
Marilyn Tremaine ◽  
...  

This paper presents preliminary results from a virtual reality (VR)-based system for hand rehabilitation that uses a CyberGlove and a Rutgers Master II-ND haptic glove. This computerized system trains finger range of motion, finger flexion speed, independence of finger motion, and finger strength using specific VR simulation exercises. A remote Web-based monitoring station was developed to allow telerehabilitation interventions. The remote therapist observes simplified versions of the patient exercises that are updated in real time. Patient data is stored transparently in an Oracle database, which is also Web accessible through a portal GUI. Thus the remote therapist or attending physician can graph exercise outcomes and thus evaluate patient outcomes at a distance. Data from the VR simulations is complemented by clinical measurements of hand function and strength. Eight chronic post-stroke subjects participated in a pilot study of the above system. In keeping with variability in both their lesion size and site and in their initial upper extremity function, each subject showed improvement on a unique combination of movement parameters in VR training. Importantly, these improvements transferred to gains on clinical tests, as well as to significant reductions in task-completion times for the prehension of real objects. These results are indicative of the potential feasibility of this exercise system for rehabilitation in patients with hand dysfunction resulting from neurological impairment.

Author(s):  
M. D. Rinderknecht ◽  
Yeongmi Kim ◽  
L. Santos-Carreras ◽  
H. Bleuler ◽  
R. Gassert

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam MacLellan ◽  
Catherine Legault ◽  
Alay Parikh ◽  
Leonel Lugo ◽  
Stephanie Kemp ◽  
...  

Background: Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with many stroke survivors having persistent upper limb functional impairment. Aside from therapist-directed rehabilitation, few efficacious recovery tools are available for use by stroke survivors in their own home. Game-based virtual reality systems have already shown promising results in therapist-supervised settings and may be suitable for home-based use. Objective: We aimed to assess the feasibility of unsupervised home-based use of a virtual reality device for hand rehabilitation in stroke survivors. Methodology: Twenty subacute/chronic stroke patients with upper extremity impairment were enrolled in this prospective single-arm study. Participants were instructed to use the Neofect Smart Glove 5 days per week for 8 weeks, in single sessions of 50 minutes or two 25-minute sessions daily. We measured (1) compliance to prescribed rehabilitation dose, (2) patient impression of the intervention, and (3) efficacy measures including the upper extremity Fugl-Meyer (UE-FM), the Jebsen-Taylor hand function test (JTHFT) and the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). Results: Seven subjects (35%) met target compliance of 40 days use, and 6 subjects (30%) used the device for 20-39 days; there were no age or gender differences in use. Subjective patient experience was favorable, with ninety percent of subjects reporting satisfaction with their overall experience, and 80% reporting perceived improvement in hand function (figure 1). There was a mean improvement of 26.6±48.8 seconds in the JTHFT ( p =0.03) and 16.1±15.3 points in the domain of the SIS that assesses hand function ( p <0.01). There was a trend towards improvement in the UE-FM (2.2±5.5 points, p =0.10). Conclusions: A novel virtual reality gaming device is suitable for unsupervised use in stroke patients and may improve hand/arm function in subacute/chronic stroke patients. A large-scale randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm these results.


Author(s):  
Mostefa Masmoudi ◽  
Nadia Zenati ◽  
Samir Benbelkacem ◽  
Zineb Hadjadj ◽  
Oualid Djekoune ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 898-915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alma S Merians ◽  
David Jack ◽  
Rares Boian ◽  
Marilyn Tremaine ◽  
Grigore C Burdea ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Purpose. Recent evidence indicates that intensive massed practice may be necessary to modify neural organization and effect recovery of motor skills in patients following stroke. Virtual reality (VR) technology has the capability of creating an interactive, motivating environment in which practice intensity and feedback can be manipulated to create individualized treatments to retrain movement. Case Description. Three patients (ML, LE, and DK), who were in the chronic phase following stroke, participated in a 2-week training program (3½ hours a day) including dexterity tasks on real objects and VR exercises. The VR simulations were targeted for range of motion, movement speed, fractionation, and force production. Outcomes. ML's function was the most impaired at the beginning of the intervention, but showed improvement in the thumb and fingers in range of motion and speed of movement. LE improved in fractionation and range of motion of his thumb and fingers. DK made the greatest gains, showing improvement in range of motion and strength of the thumb, velocity of the thumb and fingers, and fractionation. Two of the 3 patients improved on the Jebsen Test of Hand Function. Discussion. The outcomes suggest that VR may be useful to augment rehabilitation of the upper limb in patients in the chronic phase following stroke.


Author(s):  
N. Nozdryukhina ◽  
E. Kabayeva ◽  
E. Kirilyuk ◽  
K. Tushova ◽  
A. Karimov

Despite significant advances in the treatment and rehabilitation of stroke, level of post-stroke disability remains at a fairly high level. Recent innovative developments in the rehabilitation of these patients provide good results in terms of functional outcome. One of such developments is method of virtual reality (VR), which affects not only the speed and volume of regaining movement, as well as coordination, but also normalizes the psycho-emotional background, increasing the motivation of patients to improve the recovery process. This article provides a literature review of the use of the VR method in the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, neurophysiological aspects of recovery of lost functions using this method are considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1510
Author(s):  
Charles Morizio ◽  
Maxime Billot ◽  
Jean-Christophe Daviet ◽  
Stéphane Baudry ◽  
Christophe Barbanchon ◽  
...  

People who survive a stroke are often left with long-term neurologic deficits that induce, among other impairments, balance disorders. While virtual reality (VR) is growing in popularity for postural control rehabilitation in post-stroke patients, studies on the effect of challenging virtual environments, simulating common daily situations on postural control in post-stroke patients, are scarce. This study is a first step to document the postural response of stroke patients to different challenging virtual environments. Five subacute stroke patients and fifteen age-matched healthy adults were included. All participants underwent posturographic tests in control conditions (open and closed eyes) and virtual environment without (one static condition) and with avatars (four dynamic conditions) using a head-mounted device for VR. In dynamic environments, we modulated the density of the virtual crowd (dense and light crowd) and the avoidance space with the avatars (near or far). Center of pressure velocity was collected by trial throughout randomized 30-s periods. Results showed that more challenging conditions (dynamic condition) induced greater postural disturbances in stroke patients than in healthy counterparts. Our study suggests that virtual reality environments should be adjusted in light of obtaining more or less challenging conditions.


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