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
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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
Traumatic brain injury occurs when a person is hit in the head with a blunt force. This significant force to the head can happen playing recreational sports, on the playground, being in a car or motorcycle accident, falling down at home and your head impacting something, a blast or explosion. Traumatic brain injuries are also the leading cause of fatality rate and disability, especially in children, young adults and elderly. TBI is a devastating condition that affects millions of people nationwide, because it can affect the nervous system permanently, it also messes with the neurological, musculoskeletal, cognitive and much more. TBI force a family to deal with not just the physical disability, with the behavioral and emotional roller
Football players risk their lives every time they walk onto the field. Although, some players do not see the risk, because no one has informed them of the consequence. They are not aware that their next football game might be their last game or that their small headache could, in fact, be the beginning of a traumatic brain injury. The coaches are fixated on winning the game and they lose focus of their main priority, their players safety. Due to their lack of knowledge, the players do not receive proper treatment and continue to play. Acting as if nothing is wrong, they go to school and find themselves forgetting where their class is. Memory loss is one of the many symptoms associated with a traumatic brain injury, or concussion. A concussion can be caused by one traumatic impact or many minor blows to the head; also, in some cases, it can be fatal. Preventing concussions is vitally important to ensure the safety of athletes in the future.
One forceful hit could make the difference between living a long health life, or dying in a short troubled one. In the violent sport of football, there are many violent collisions that can lead to head trauma. Head trauma, meaning a concussion varies from instance to instance. Some can be severe and last six weeks, in comparison some can only be mild and last one day. Research shows that a repeated series of concussions can lead to Chronic traumatic encephalopathy(CTE).
Yes, athletes should be required to sit out for longer periods of time when they have a head related injury. High school students are more vulnerable to have a second concussion after the first one, women are more susceptible to concussions then men, and a second concussion can lead to death or severe brain damage.
The brain is vulnerable, and is susceptible to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs). A person’s head jerks forward and back; this rapid change in acceleration causes a concussion because of impact. Examples of impact injuries that frequently occur in athletics are collisions, falls, and bumps to the head. Regardless of how a person sustains a concussion, her brain collides with ridges in her skull. Although the purpose of a skull is to protect the brain; the fusion of bones in a person’s skull creates ridges, and these ridges damage the brain upon impact. When a person’s brain is shaken up, the sharp ridges damage the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes (Hirsch & Kaufman, 1975).
In the United States alone, there are approximately one million head injuries reported every year; eighty five percent of these injuries are classified as mild traumatic brain injuries. Traumatic brain injuries, also known as concussions, are the leading cause of death and disability for neurological disorders before the age of fifty. Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are one of the most prevalent, and have become a major public health issue. A few of the main reasons there are so many problems with traumatic brain injuries (TBI), are lack of reporting by the patients, physician’s misdiagnosis or undiagnosed, and lack of awareness.
There is evidence to suggest that improved motor recovery occurs when the brain uses the original neural system to control the movement as this is shown to represent "true" recovery. Whereas, if new networks were to form in the unaffected hemisphere of the brain, motor recovery will be reduced. As a result of using these new networks, fine motor control is lost and employment of compensatory movement strategies are associated with a poorer functional outcome (Nudo, 2007). The recovery of motor skills following a stroke, like walking, relies on the brain’s ability
Scientific studies showed a link between concussions and head to head contact. A Neurological study of head injuries from contact sports was conducted by Dr. Ann McKee, a neurologist at the Boston University School of Medicine. She examined the brains of deceased NFL professional football players. The Boston University study found that only one of the 35 deceased NFL players’ brains did not show evidence of advanced CTE, which can only be proven by autopsy after death.Her study received resistance from the NFL and its Commissioner, Roger Goodell.The studies indicated that it was constant head trauma (not including other types of body trauma such as knees, shoulders, and internal organs sustained in contact sports) that was causing the CTE.
The aftermaths of repetitive brain trauma - symptomatic concussions and other blows to the heads of different severity - has been a topic of medical discussion since the 1930’s...Yes the THIRTIES. There have been a lot of scientific research into the effect of concussions and how coaches, personnels and teams should deal with players who have been concussed. In 1933, the NCAA educated all of its schools on the correct procedures of dealing with a concussed player. The NCAA thought that brain trauma weren’t taken seriously as they should be. A procedure in the NCAA medical handbook that stands out is to not allow concussed players to practice until the symptoms don’t show for 48 hours. If the symptoms are present after 48 hours, they should
Traumatic brain injuries are so prevalent. According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 1.5 billion people in the U.S who suffer from a traumatic brain injury and each year 85,000 people suffer long-term disabilities. A traumatic brain injury can affect a person’s life in many different ways including disruption physically, cognitively, vocationally, and socially. The most prevalent and persistent of all is social functioning. This paper explores many areas that take part in the social impairments after a traumatic brain injury. More specifically, it discusses the location of damage, behavioral challenges, and social interactions, competencies, and skills that make it difficult to maintain social relationships post injury.
Every year there is more and more worries about whether or not football should be discontinued because of all the traumatic brain injuries that happen to all different aged kids. “A concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process that affects the brain, typically induced by trauma to the brain” (Concussion). With over “1.6 million to 3.8 million concussions occurring each year”(Concussion) this debate could be a highly one sided decision whether or not to end the game of American Football. “More than one million young athletes play highschool football every year” (Kounang). This is only including high school so these numbers do not include college or the
The lack of technology in the past has left multiple stroke patients struggling with physical and mental impairments. However, due to the constant change and improvements made to technology, patients are now getting more help with their physical and mental needs. Nowadays, the odds of a patient gaining full function and ability back after a traumatic brain injury are much more favorable than not. Advanced technology such as robotic gloves, interactive video games, and electrical stimulators are effective tools in the treatment of strokes because they stimulate the brain to help regain ability and motor functions.
The information in this literature review was collected from an expert interview and the search databases Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The expert for the expert interview was selected based on experience with designing prosthetics for individuals that had lost their hand and potentially part of their arm (Birdwell, 2016). The databases were searched using keywords “spinal cord injury”, “hand movement”, and “fine motor movement”. In PubMed the selection was also narrowed down by selecting only studies done on humans. New terminology was searched through science direct due to the built in function that allows for key words from the article to be selected for further information from multiple books or journals.
What would you do if you had brain disease? The brain is the most important part of the human body. Without it, you would not be able to think, and more importantly, you would be dead. Two serious brain diseases are brain tumors and Alzheimer’s disease. A brain tumor is a massive growth of abnormal cells in the brain. There are many types of brain tumors. Some may be benign, which is noncancerous, or they may be malignant, which is cancerous (Brain Tumor). Alzheimer's disease is an unstoppable brain disease that gradually damages one's memory and thinking. Eventually, the ability to do simple tasks everyday even becomes destroyed. For most people, Alzheimer's disease show after the age of 60. This is known as late onset AD. Early onset is
It is common for patients to create learned non-utilization of their weaker arm. Study shows about demonstrates the serious rehashed undertaking work on utilizing the weaker arm can enhance both the measure of utilization and nature of development prompting enhanced capacity and independence. Limitation induced development treatment depends on learned non-utilize which creates amid beginning times following a stroke as the patients acquaint with adjust for trouble utilizing the impaired extremities by expanding dependence of the in-place