Browse the latest research summaries in the field of assistive technology for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 491-500 of 581 results
Neurotherapeutics, 2018 • July 9, 2018
This review discusses advances in robot-guided rehabilitation after SCI for the upper and lower extremities, as well as potential adjuncts to robotics. Studies of lower extremity robotic exoskeletons ...
KEY FINDING: Upper extremity robotic devices lack strong scientific evidence to support their use in SCI populations, partly due to the absence of a consensus on appropriate outcome measures.
J Tissue Viability, 2018 • August 1, 2018
This pilot study measured temperature of seats pre- and post-use, and microclimate characteristics adjacent to the skin-seat interface in two strap-based seating systems as well as in subjects’ curren...
KEY FINDING: The solid strap-based seating system was significantly cooler than the other seating systems immediately following transfer out of the seat.
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 2018 • July 10, 2018
This study investigated the impact of creativity and visual display on motivation during robot-assisted arm therapy using a music creation task. The results showed that promoting creativity significan...
KEY FINDING: Promotion of creativity significantly increased interest/enjoyment (p = 0.001) and perceived choice (p = 0.010) in the IMI.
Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, 2018 • July 10, 2018
This retrospective study evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) therapy in patients who underwent spine surgery. Nine patients with various spine disorders were included...
KEY FINDING: Walking speed improved significantly after HAL treatment. The speed during the 10MWT significantly improved from 64.1 ± 16.0 to 74.8 ± 10.8 m/min (P = 0 031).
BioMed Eng OnLine, 2018 • August 13, 2018
The study introduces a brain-actuated smart wheelchair that integrates AI and automation for daily use by individuals with motor impairments. It uses a BCI for target selection and autonomous navigati...
KEY FINDING: The smart wheelchair system achieved a 100% success rate in completing tasks in a simulated daily environment with both patients and healthy subjects.
Asian Spine Journal, 2018 • October 1, 2018
This pilot study compared the effectiveness of virtual reality intervention (Nintendo Wii) combined with conventional therapy versus conventional therapy alone for improving upper limb function in pat...
KEY FINDING: Virtual reality combined with conventional therapy produced similar results in upper limb function as conventional therapy alone.
PLoS ONE, 2018 • September 17, 2018
This research showed that peak sagittal kinematic and kinetic gait parameters, between 0.2 and 0.8 m/s, had a strong non-linear association with speed. The lack of a consistent inflection point indica...
KEY FINDING: Quadratic models based on walking speed had the strongest correlations with sagittal kinematic and kinetic gait parameters, with kinetic parameters having the better results.
World J Orthop, 2018 • September 18, 2018
Robotic exoskeletons have emerged as a rehabilitation tool for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), offering potential benefits, but their high cost limits widespread use. Clinical trials are un...
KEY FINDING: Exoskeleton training is generally safe and can be used in different settings to encourage walking.
Asian Spine J, 2019 • January 1, 2019
This pilot study investigated the efficacy of IRGO and MLRGO on postural sway, modified Falls Efficacy Scale (mFES), and gait during ambulation in four subjects with SCI. The results of this pilot stu...
KEY FINDING: Walking speed, cadence, and endurance increased with the use of both HKAFOs; the increase was slightly higher with the use of MLRGO than with the use of IRGO.
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2019 • July 1, 2019
HAL training in patients with T-OPLL, presenting with severe gait disturbances, was successfully performed during the acute and subacute postoperative periods without severe adverse events, supporting...
KEY FINDING: All participants completed the 10 training sessions, with no serious adverse effect noted.