Browse the latest research summaries in the field of assistive technology for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 531-540 of 581 results
Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering, 2019 • January 1, 2019
This study presents the design and proof of concept for FES garments (shirts and pants) intended to deliver functional electrical stimulation, offering potential improvements in ease of use, comfort, ...
KEY FINDING: Fabric electrodes had a lower sensory threshold on forearm muscles but a higher maximal stimulation threshold for all tested muscles compared to gel electrodes.
Sensors, 2012 • January 31, 2012
This review paper summarizes the state-of-the-art of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), focusing on the different stages of a BCI system: signal acquisition, preprocessing, feature extraction, classifi...
KEY FINDING: Electroencephalography (EEG) is the most widely used neuroimaging modality in BCIs because of its high temporal resolution, low cost, and portability.
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2012 • July 1, 2012
This study examined the association between reliance on devices and people and the ability to ambulate distances and climb stairs for ambulatory persons with SCI. The probability of functional communi...
KEY FINDING: Participants best able to ambulate community distances were those who were independent with ambulation and those who used one cane or crutch.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil., 2012 • June 1, 2012
This study reports the incidence of wheelchair repairs, breakdowns, and consequences in a population of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) and compares current findings with historical dat...
KEY FINDING: Significant increases were found in the number of participants reporting repairs and adverse consequences in a 6-month period compared with historical data.
Nature, 2012 • May 17, 2012
This study demonstrates the ability of two people with long-standing tetraplegia to use a neural interface system (NIS) to control a robotic arm for three-dimensional reach and grasp movements. Partic...
KEY FINDING: People with long-standing tetraplegia can use NIS-based control to perform 3D reach and grasp movements with a robotic arm.
Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 2012 • November 1, 2012
The paper argues that upper extremity robotic therapy has reached a 'tipping point' and is ready for mainstream clinical use, based on evidence from studies like VA-ROBOTICS. These studies demonstrate...
KEY FINDING: Usual care did not reduce impairment, disability, or improve quality of life in chronic stroke survivors.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2013 • April 1, 2013
This study evaluated the impact of different durations of wheelchair tilt-in-space and recline on skin perfusion over the ischial tuberosity in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The findings ...
KEY FINDING: A 3-minute duration of tilt-in-space and recline was more effective at enhancing skin perfusion during recovery compared to a 1-minute duration.
Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2013 • June 1, 2013
This study investigated the effect of various wheelchair tilt-in-space and recline angles on sacral skin perfusion in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI). Sacral skin perfusion did not show...
KEY FINDING: The study found that wheelchair tilt-in-space and recline did not significantly reduce sacral skin perfusion when moving from an upright to a tilted and reclined position.
Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2012 • January 1, 2012
This study assessed the peak force during wheelchair propulsion over obstacles from the Wheelchair Skills Test in individuals with spinal cord injury. The results demonstrate that more difficult wheel...
KEY FINDING: Statistically significant increases in peak forces were observed when propelling over obstacles compared to level surfaces.
Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2012 • January 1, 2012
The study examined wheelchair skill performance of manual wheelchair users with SCI. Many participants had difficulty performing community and advanced level skills. Additional wheelchair skills train...
KEY FINDING: A majority of the manual wheelchair users were unable to complete the community and advanced level WST skills.