Article

OBJECTIVE: To carry out a preliminary feasibility study of a new concept of robot
therapy for severely impaired patients after stroke.
DESIGN: A haptic
manipulandum connected to a bar that can rotate freely while providing a measure
of the rotation angle. The controller combines a bilateral reaching task with the
task of balancing the action of the 2 arms. Reinforcement is given to the subject
in 2 forms: audio-visual and haptic by means of adaptable force fields. PATIENTS:
Four highly paretic patients with chronic stroke
(Fugl-Meyer score less than 15).
METHODS: The training cycle consisted of 5 sessions over a period of 2 weeks.
Each session (45 min) was divided in blocks of 10 pairs of forward/backward
movements. Performance was determined by evaluating the number of successful
movements per session, the session-by-session decrease in the assistive field,
the mean reaching time, and the mean stopping field.
RESULTS: All subjects could
understand the task, appreciated it and improved their performance during
training. The reaching movements became smoother and quicker; balance errors and
the magnitude of the resisting field were consistently reduced. CONCLUSION:
Bilateral robot therapy is a promising technique, provided that it self-adapts to
the patient's performance. Formal clinical trials should address this point.

Langue : ANGLAIS