Computer-Assisted Upper Extremity Training Using Interactive Biking Exercise (IBikE) Platform.
Computer-assisted upper extremity training using interactive biking exercise (iBikE) platform.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug; 2012: 6095-9
Jeong IC, Finkelstein J
Upper extremity exercise training has been shown to improve clinical outcomes in different chronic health conditions. Arm-operated bicycles are frequently used to facilitate upper extremity training however effective use of these devices at patient homes is hampered by lack of remote connectivity with clinical rehabilitation team, inability to monitor exercise progress in real time using simple graphical representation, and absence of an alert system which would prevent exertion levels exceeding those approved by the clinical rehabilitation team. We developed an interactive biking exercise (iBikE) platform aimed at addressing these limitations. The platform uses a miniature wireless 3-axis accelerometer mounted on a patient wrist that transmits the cycling acceleration data to a laptop. The laptop screen presents an exercise dashboard to the patient in real time allowing easy graphical visualization of exercise progress and presentation of exercise parameters in relation to prescribed targets. The iBikE platform is programmed to alert the patient when exercise intensity exceeds the levels recommended by the patient care provider. The iBikE platform has been tested in 7 healthy volunteers (age range: 26-50 years) and shown to reliably reflect exercise progress and to generate alerts at pre-setup levels. Implementation of remote connectivity with patient rehabilitation team is warranted for future extension and evaluation efforts.
HubMed – rehab
Training strategies for a lower limb rehabilitation robot based on impedance control.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug; 2012: 6032-5
Hu J, Hou Z, Zhang F, Chen Y, Li P
This paper proposes three training strategies based on impedance control, including passive training, damping-active training and spring-active training, for a 3-DOF lower limb rehabilitation robot designed for patients with paraplegia or hemiplegia. Controllers with similar structure are developed for these training strategies, consisting of dual closed loops, the outer impedance control loop and the inner position/velocity control loop, known as position-based impedance control method. Simulation results verify that position-based impedance control approach is feasible to accomplish the training strategies.
HubMed – rehab
Development of a virtual reality system to evaluate skills needed to drive a cycling wheel-chair.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug; 2012: 6019-22
Sugita N, Kojima Y, Yoshizawa M, Tanaka A, Abe M, Homma N, Seki K, Handa N
A cycling wheel chair (CWC) is a useful tool to provide physical exercise for patients who face difficulty walking, caused by stroke or other brain disorders. A system has been developed for rehabilitation, which allows patients to practice driving a CWC in a virtual environment. In this study, hardware improvements were developed and methods for evaluating driving skills were investigated to improve the practical application of this system. The hardware was changed to enable users to drive the CWC they were using in their daily lives. In addition, four types of test scenarios that focused on basic and important actions necessary to drive a CWC, such as pedaling and steering, were developed. An experiment with healthy young and elderly persons was conducted to evaluate the validity of the system. Results showed that pedaling and steering skills were improved in both the young and elderly subjects but the improvement patterns differed between them. These results indicate that repeated practice with the proposed system enhances the safety of driving a CWC, particularly for elderly users.
HubMed – rehab
Surface EMG analysis and changes in gait following electrical stimulation of quadriceps femoris and tibialis anterior in children with spastic cerebral palsy.
Filed under: Rehab Centers
Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2012 Aug; 2012: 5726-9
Arya BK, Mohapatra J, Subramanya K, Prasad H, Kumar R, Mahadevappa M
Purpose: To evaluate the clinical feasibility and effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) therapy of quadriceps femoris (QF) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles on improving gait and functional outcomes in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Method: Ten children with spastic diplegic/hemiplegic CP who were in the age group of 7 to 14 years recruited from a rehabilitation institute were randomly assigned either to a control group or a NMES group. Both groups obtained conventional physiotherapy and muscle strengthening exercises. The NMES group in addition received surface electrical stimulation to QF and TA muscles for four weeks duration. Results: The NMES group showed significant improvements as compared to the control group in walking speed (mean difference: 7.83 meters per min, 95% confidence interval: 3.13 to 12.53, p<0.01) and cadence (mean difference: 23.33 steps per min, 95% confidence interval: 5.90 to 40.77, p<0.01). The NMES group also showed significant reduction in physiological cost index of walking or PCI (mean difference: -1.32 beats per meter, 95% confidence interval: -1.83 to -0.80, p<0.001) indicating greater energy-efficiency of walking. No significant changes were seen in EMG parameters. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggests that NMES therapy together with conventional physiotherapy more efficiently improves walking ability and functional outcomes as compared to conventional physiotherapy alone in children with spastic CP.
HubMed – rehab
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