OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the feasibility and effects of robotic therapy for children with cerebral palsy and upper limb hemiplegia. DESIGN: A single group within-subjects design was used. Twelve children aged 5-12 yrs with moderate to severe motor impairments participated in 1-hr robotic therapy sessions, 2 times per week for 8 wks. During each session, children used the paretic arm to perform 640 repetitive, goal-directed planar reaching movements, with robotic assistance as needed. Primary outcomes were the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper limb subtest. Secondary outcomes were the Modified Ashworth Scale, peak isometric strength of shoulder and elbow muscles, and parent questionnaire scores. RESULTS: We found significant gains in total QUEST and Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores at discharge and follow-up and in isometric strength of elbow extensors at discharge. The parent questionnaire showed significant improvements in "how much" and "how well" children used the paretic arm during daily functional tasks at home. CONCLUSION: Robotic therapy can provide new opportunities for improving upper limb coordination and function in children with moderate to severe impairments due to cerebral palsy or stroke.
OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine the feasibility and effects of robotic therapy for children with cerebral palsy and upper limb hemiplegia. DESIGN: A single group within-subjects design was used. Twelve children aged 5-12 yrs with moderate to severe motor impairments participated in 1-hr robotic therapy sessions, 2 times per week for 8 wks. During each session, children used the paretic arm to perform 640 repetitive, goal-directed planar reaching movements, with robotic assistance as needed. Primary outcomes were the Quality of Upper Extremity Skills Test (QUEST) and the Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper limb subtest. Secondary outcomes were the Modified Ashworth Scale, peak isometric strength of shoulder and elbow muscles, and parent questionnaire scores. RESULTS: We found significant gains in total QUEST and Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores at discharge and follow-up and in isometric strength of elbow extensors at discharge. The parent questionnaire showed significant improvements in "how much" and "how well" children used the paretic arm during daily functional tasks at home. CONCLUSION: Robotic therapy can provide new opportunities for improving upper limb coordination and function in children with moderate to severe impairments due to cerebral palsy or stroke.
Authors: Hermano I Krebs; Susan E Fasoli; Laura Dipietro; Maria Fragala-Pinkham; Richard Hughes; Joel Stein; Neville Hogan Journal: Neurorehabil Neural Repair Date: 2012-02-13 Impact factor: 3.919
Authors: Michael J Fu; Anna Curby; Ryan Suder; Benjamin Katholi; Jayme S Knutson Journal: IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng Date: 2020-05-11 Impact factor: 3.802
Authors: Andrea M Kuczynski; Sean P Dukelow; Jacquie A Hodge; Helen L Carlson; Catherine Lebel; Jennifer A Semrau; Adam Kirton Journal: Hum Brain Mapp Date: 2017-11-29 Impact factor: 5.038
Authors: Qinyin Qiu; Diego A Ramirez; Soha Saleh; Gerard G Fluet; Heta D Parikh; Donna Kelly; Sergei V Adamovich Journal: J Neuroeng Rehabil Date: 2009-11-16 Impact factor: 4.262