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.

Citation

Kumar, P. (2022, June). Role of assistive devices in rehabilitation of people with stroke. Presented at Assistive Tech workshop, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Bristol Robotics Laboratory, UWE

• Presentation Conference Type: Speech
• Conference Name: Assistive Tech workshop, Bristol Robotics Laboratory
• Conference Location: Bristol Robotics Laboratory, UWE
• 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