scholarly journals Mirror therapy for upper limb rehabilitation in chronic patients after stroke

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dreyzialle Vila Nova Mota ◽  
André Luís Ferreira de Meireles ◽  
Marcelo Tavares Viana ◽  
Rita de Cássia de Albuquerque Almeida

Abstract Introduction: Individuals with stroke sequelae present changes in the postural alignment and muscle strength associated with hemiplegia or hemiparesis. Mirror therapy is a technique that aims to improve the motor function of the paretic limb. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of mirror therapy, associated with conventional physiotherapy, for range of motion (ROM), degree of spasticity of the affected upper limb, and the level of independence in the activities of daily living (ADL) of chronic patients after stroke. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental (before and after) study. The study included ten stroke survivors undertaking physiotherapy and presenting with upper limb paresis. The following gauges were used for the present study: goniometry, the Modified Ashworth Scale, Fugl-Meyer and Barthel Index. Fifteen sessions were performed, each lasting 30 minutes, consisting of stretching of the flexor and extensor muscles of the wrist and elbow, pronators and supinators, followed by mirror therapy with gradual functional exercises. Results: Improvement was observed in all aspects studied, however with significant differences for ROM wrist extension (p = 0.04) and forearm supination (p = 0.03) Conclusion: It can be concluded that mirror therapy contributed to the participants' good performance in the aspects studied, mainly in relation to ROM of the affected upper limb.

Author(s):  
Giulio Rosati ◽  
Riccardo Secoli ◽  
Damiano Zanotto ◽  
Aldo Rossi ◽  
Giovanni Boschetti

Rehabilitation is the only way to promote recovery of lost function in post-stroke hemiplegic subjects, leading to independence and early reintegration into social and domestic life. In particular, upper limb rehabilitation is fundamental to regain ability in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Robot-aided rehabilitation is an emerging field seeking to employ leading-edge robotic systems to increase patient recovery in the rehabilitation treatment. Even though the effectiveness of robotic therapy is still being discussed, the use of robotic devices can increase therapists’ efficiency by alleviating the labor-intensive aspects of physical rehabilitation, and can produce a reduction in treatment costs. This paper presents a comparison between different planar robotic devices designed for upper-limb rehabilitation in chronic patients. A planar configuration of the workspace leads to straightforward mechanical and control system design, and allows to define very simple and understandable treatment exercises. Also, the graphical user interface becomes very intuitive for the patient, and a set of Cartesian-based measures of the patient’s performance can be defined easily. In the paper, SCARA (Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm) robots such as the MIT-Manus, Cartesian robots and cable-driven robots are considered and compared in terms of inertial properties and force exertion capabilities. Two cable-driven devices, designed at the Robotics Lab of the Department if Innovation In Mechanics and Management, University of Padua, Italy, are presented for the first time. The first robot employs four driven cables to produce a planar force on the end-effector, whereas the second one is based on a three-cable configuration plus a linear actuator to obtain better overall robot performance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (18) ◽  
pp. 3920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aprile ◽  
Cruciani ◽  
Germanotta ◽  
Gower ◽  
Pecchioli ◽  
...  

Robot-mediated therapy is a viable approach for upper limb rehabilitation. The upper limb is a highly complex segment and the identification of the appropriate devices capable of rehabilitating it globally (from the shoulder to the hand) in clinical practice is crucial. In this work, we aimed: (i) to describe an approach used in identifying a set of technological and robotic devices to globally treat the upper limb, and (ii) to evaluate the feasibility of the identified set in clinical practice. Using an ad-hoc form, a multidisciplinary team identified a set of four robotic and sensor-based devices to treat globally the upper limb. Then, 30 stroke patients were enrolled and assigned to two groups: the robotic group (RG), where patients were treated with the robotic set, or the conventional group (CG). All patients were evaluated before and after the treatment. In the RG the patients used all the devices (one in each rehabilitation session); the treatment was well accepted, without drop-outs or adverse events. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we identified a set of technological and robotic devices to treat the upper limb globally, and then we experimented to ascertain its feasibility, in a pilot study. Robotics offers a considerable number of devices for rehabilitation that should be selected according to rehabilitation aims and feasibility in clinical practice.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 1550010 ◽  
Author(s):  
HAILONG YU ◽  
LE XIE ◽  
CHAO LV ◽  
WEI SHAO ◽  
YUAN WANG ◽  
...  

In the conventional upper-limb rehabilitation process, patients have to be relying on therapists to do the exercise and assessments. Using robotic rehabilitation devices, patients can practice independently and intensively with their upper paretic limb. In this study, we hypothesized that a multi-DOF passive mechanism coupled with multi-DOF 3D sensory feedback could provide: (1) safe and nature active exercise; (2) various combinations of degrees of freedom (DOF) for the training of different specific joints; (3) the possibility to realize ideal trajectory. In order to test the hypothesis, we designed a seven-DOF passive exoskeleton-based system for the upper extremity, integrated with virtual reality (VR) technology based 3D feedback. An experiment was done on six healthy subjects and three subjects with upper-limb impairment. All subjects did not experience any problems when handling the device during the intervention. Moreover, Fugl–Meyer Score of the upper extremity Assessment (FMA) scale showed that the three patients have increased the score by 19, 23 and 14, respectively. Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) scale showed that the three patients have increased their scores by 22, 22 and 14, respectively.


ROBOT ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 307-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baoguo XU ◽  
Si PENG ◽  
Aiguo SONG

ROBOT ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lizheng PAN ◽  
Aiguo SONG ◽  
Guozheng XU ◽  
Huijun LI ◽  
Baoguo XU

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2146
Author(s):  
Manuel Andrés Vélez-Guerrero ◽  
Mauro Callejas-Cuervo ◽  
Stefano Mazzoleni

Processing and control systems based on artificial intelligence (AI) have progressively improved mobile robotic exoskeletons used in upper-limb motor rehabilitation. This systematic review presents the advances and trends of those technologies. A literature search was performed in Scopus, IEEE Xplore, Web of Science, and PubMed using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology with three main inclusion criteria: (a) motor or neuromotor rehabilitation for upper limbs, (b) mobile robotic exoskeletons, and (c) AI. The period under investigation spanned from 2016 to 2020, resulting in 30 articles that met the criteria. The literature showed the use of artificial neural networks (40%), adaptive algorithms (20%), and other mixed AI techniques (40%). Additionally, it was found that in only 16% of the articles, developments focused on neuromotor rehabilitation. The main trend in the research is the development of wearable robotic exoskeletons (53%) and the fusion of data collected from multiple sensors that enrich the training of intelligent algorithms. There is a latent need to develop more reliable systems through clinical validation and improvement of technical characteristics, such as weight/dimensions of devices, in order to have positive impacts on the rehabilitation process and improve the interactions among patients, teams of health professionals, and technology.


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