Feb 25 2011
The American Stroke Association featured a research presentation at the International Stroke Conference 2011 that explained the importance of assigning robotic therapy in addition to the standard rehabilitation for stroke victims.
It was proved that robots can aid in improving arm and shoulder movements in patients who suffer from paralysis.
It was observed that patients who underwent robotic therapy showed a significant improvement. Measurement of upper extremity function in stroke patients subjected to robotic therapy revealed that both the Fugl-Meyer flexor synergy score and the Fugl-Meyer shoulder/elbow/forearm score were high.
Clinician and research associate of the Kitasato University East Hospital in Japan, Kayoko Takahashi stated that subjecting patients to robotic exercise with standard rehabilitation might prove successful.
Based on pre-programmed movements, a Reo Therapy System by Motorika was used to move the patient’s forearm in multiple directions. The robot’s movements can be controlled to either encourage active movement from the patient’s part or perform passive movements.
Source: http://www.strokeassociation.org/