Greater gait with gravity

It is in the neurorehabilitation section of Science, but no visible extract. So send your doctors after it. Everything in stroke research should be publicly available through our fucking failures of stroke associations. But they can't even do that one little thing for survivors.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/357/6348/263.7

Mechanical Design of an Affordable Adaptive Gravity Balanced Orthosis for Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation

Have your doctor get this paper and see what your therapists can use to recover your upper limb.
http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/376692/

Cannella, G., Laila, D.S. and Freeman, C. T. (2015) Mechanical Design of an Affordable Adaptive Gravity Balanced Orthosis for Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation. Mechanics Based Design of Structures and Machines, An International Journal (In Press).

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Description/Abstract

In this paper a novel design of non-powered orthosis for stroke rehabilitation is reported. Designed for home based use, it is the first low-cost, passive design to incorporate an assistive level that can be adaptively varied within a closed-loop control scheme. This allows the device to be integrated with a dual robotic and electrical stimulation control scheme, to thereby enable full exploitation of the motor relearning principles which underpin both robotic therapy and Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) based stroke rehabilitation. This embeds the potential for more effective treatment. The paper focuses on the mechanical design of the non-powered orthosis, providing detailed design and dynamics analysis and evaluation.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Engineering and the Environment > Engineering Sciences > Electro-Mechanical Research Group Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering > Electronics and Computer Science > EEE
ePrint ID:	376692
Date Deposited:	30 Apr 2015 16:00
Last Modified:	30 Apr 2015 16:00
Further Information:	Google Scholar
URI:	http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/376692

Stroke survivors talk while doing: Development of a therapeutic framework for continued rehabilitation of hand function post stroke

If this is true your doctor and therapist need to get this immediately, your hand recovery may depend on it. Then please send it to me.
 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0894113012001111

Abstract

Study design

Qualitative study to identify themes and explore mechanisms underlying recovery of hand function post stroke for individuals discharged from rehabilitation services.

Purpose of the study

Post-stroke hemiparesis frequently results in persistent hand dysfunction; the mechanisms of functional recovery are however poorly understood. We assessed the perspectives of community-dwelling individuals with chronic stroke on their hand function limitations and recovery to explore the feasibility of developing a theoretical framework for understanding the process of continued post-stroke recovery.

Methods

Eight subjects with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis were interviewed and videotaped while they performed a battery of 20 upper limb tasks. Qualitative analysis consisted of two investigators independently reviewing the videotapes and reading the transcribed conversations, identifying significant issues and then comparing their observations to determine common themes and develop emerging concepts.

Results

Four core themes pertaining to impairment and recovery of task-specific ability emerged: 1) spasticity can be overcome actively through task-specific attempts to use the affected arm and hand; 2) use of the affected arm can be facilitated by adopting positions that reduce the effect of gravity on the arm or enable gravity to act as a natural assist in the movement; 3) task-specific skill can be attained by repeatedly attempting specific component movements of tasks in the context of a variety of different tasks; and 4) frustration impedes task performance but a mental state of ‘detached focus’ can improve the motivation to use the affected arm.

Conclusions

These themes suggest a therapeutic framework for continued upper limb rehabilitation in patients' own environment to maximize functional recovery in individuals long after their stroke, and generate hypotheses which may lead to the development of new therapeutic protocols.