Article

Technological advances continue to infuse the field of neurorehabilitation with
both excitement and apprehension. A challenge for clinicians is to determine
which of the growing number of devices or interventions available should be
incorporated into their clinical practice, and when and with whom they should be
offered, in order to best assist their patients in attaining the highest level of
function and quality of life. Robotics is one area of technology that has seen
robust growth in rehabilitation applications, so much so that the presence of
robotic devices in rehabilitation centers has become an expectation among
patients, their caregivers, and therapists. Although rehabilitation robotic
devices afford the opportunity to provide high doses of repetitive movement in a
reliable and controllable manner, the role they play in the continuum of clinical
care remains uncertain. The focus of this article is on translating the empirical
evidence related to the application of rehabilitation robotics for improving
lower limb and walking function in a manner that the clinician, or any
stakeholder, will be able to incorporate relevant findings into clinical
practice. A process is outlined and applied to a recent review of the literature
related to the use of robotics for the treatment of lower limb and walking
function in persons with stroke. This process provides the reader with a tool
that can be applied to the translation and implementation of evidence related to
any intervention for any client with neurological injury or disease.

Langue : ANGLAIS