preview

Brain Trauma Essay

Better Essays

Haptic and Exoskeleton Devices, Virtual Reality, and Upper Limb Neurorehabilitation
Leah Piggott, Samantha R. Wagner, and Mounia Ziat
Abstract— Brain trauma frequently affects an individual's motor functioning and sensory feedback. Current neurorehabilitation research explores how technology can improve a patient’s quality of life. Haptic and Exoskeleton devices assist in motor functioning, and enable sensory and haptic feedback; virtual reality can create immersive environments or games for rehabilitation. Research is also focused on inexpensive technologies that can be used in therapy settings or at home.. This review highlights the most important haptic and robotic devices used in neurorehabilitation research and their benefits, as well …show more content…

Drug prescriptions may help with pain, and occupational therapy, physical therapy, and massage therapy are useful for the recovery of motor and sensory functions. However, there are limitations to these therapies, such as when and where they can be performed. Additionally research has focused on a person’s overall ability or disability in performing activities of daily living (ADL) after therapy, which doesn’t distinguish between the motor function of the affected limb and compensation by other limbs. Neurorehabilitation research contributed to changing the discussion to an individual’s level of motor and sensory function and the development of assistive haptic and robotic devices [6]. The range of technology varies from simple end-effector devices to full scale exoskeleton robots, to be fitted to the hand or affected limb.
(talk about importance of immediate, and repetitious movement for rehabilitation) If motor functions of the upper limbs are not addressed within the first three months and improvements are not seen by six months, a person may not be able to regain the level of motor skills they had before a stroke [1], [13], [17]. Not only has this research improved the lives of patients and the quality of rehabilitation, but it has improved our understanding of how humans interact with their environment

Get Access