Role of assistive devices in rehabilitation of people with stroke

Kumar, Praveen

Abstract

This presentation provides an overview on role of assistive devices - Lycra Arm sleeves/accelerometers/ GripAble Gaming Device for the rehabilitation of upper limb function in people with stroke.

Of the 80% of people with stroke who lose upper-limb function, only 12% make a full recovery. Impairments include weakness, sensory loss, changes in muscle tone, and glenohumeral subluxation (GHS; an increased gap in the shoulder joint) resulting in loss of upper-limb function. Reduced upper-limb function is devastating to patients and is associated with increased dependence, loss of confidence, depression, social withdrawal and reduced quality of life.

As well as devastatingly reduced upper-limb (UL) function, there is significant economic burden. Almost two-thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability. The contribution of formal social care for chronic stroke increases from 11% in the first year to 22% (£4.6 billion) in subsequent years. Furthermore, the informal care sector contributes a vast £12.8 billion per year in subsequent years.

Currently, the time allocated to upper-limb therapy early after stroke is minimal as therapy often focuses on mobility and transfers. Learnt non-use is also a problem; individuals tend to use the affected arm less than the unaffected arm even when some movement remains, impairing recovery. A recent UK survey reported that less than 25% of stroke therapists (n=154) routinely provided high-intensity task-specific practice in clinical practice.

In recent years, a growing number of rehabilitation technologies have emerged that boast the potential to provide cost-effective, intensive UL exercise. In this presentation, technologies such as Lycra Arm sleeve, accelerometers and GripAble (a self-directed adapted exergaming device) are introduced and current evidence on these approaches are discussed.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Assistive Tech workshop, Bristol Robotics Laboratory
• Start Date: Jun 23, 2022
• End Date: Jun 24, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jan 7, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 11, 2023
• Keywords: Stroke, Assistive devices, Rehabilitation
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10307766