Barriers to sEMG assessment during overground robot-assisted gait training in subacute stroke patients

Background: The limitation to the use of ElectroMyoGraphy (sEMG) in rehabilitation services is in contrast with its potential diagnostic capacity for rational planning and monitoring of the rehabilitation treatments, especially the overground Robot-Assisted Gait Training (o-RAGT). Objective: To assess the barriers to the implementation of a sEMG-based assessment protocol in a clinical context for evaluating the effects of o-RAGT in subacute stroke patients. Methods: Anobservationalstudywasconductedinarehabilitationhospital.Theprimary outcome was the success rate of the implementation of the sEMG-based assessment. The number of dropouts and the motivations have been registered. A detailed report on difficulties in implementing the sEMG protocol has been edited for each patient. The educational level and the working status of the staff have been registered.Each member of staff completed a brief survey indicating their level of knowledge of sEMG, using a five-point Likert scale. Results: The sEMG protocol was carried out by a multidisciplinary team composed of Physical Therapists (PTs) and Biomedical Engineers (BEs). Indeed, the educational level andtheexpertiseofthemembersofstaffinfluencedthefulfillmentoftheimplementation of the study.ThePTsinvolved in the study did not receive any for maleducationonsEMG during their course of study. The low success rate (22.7%) of the protocol was caused by several factors which could be grouped in: patient-related barriers; cultural barriers; technical barriers; and administrative barriers. Conclusions: Since a series of barriers limited the use of sEMG in the clinical rehabilitative environment, concrete actions are needed for disseminating sEMG in rehabilitation services. The sEMG assessment should be included in health systems regulations and specific education should be part of the rehabilitation professionals’ curriculum. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT03395717

Recovery of hand function with robot-assisted therapy in acute stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

In the last few years, not many studies on the use of robot-assisted therapy to recover hand function in acute stroke patients have been carried out. This randomized-controlled observer trial is aimed at evaluating the effects of intensive robot-assisted hand therapy compared with intensive occupational therapy in the early recovery phases after stroke with a 3-month follow-up. Twenty acute stroke patients at their first-ever stroke were enrolled and randomized into two groups. The experimental treatment was performed using the Amadeo Robotic System. Control treatment, instead, was carried out using occupational therapy executed by a trained physiotherapist. All participants received 20 sessions of treatment for 4 consecutive weeks (5 days/week). The following clinical scales, Fugl-Meyer Scale (FM), Medical Research Council Scale for Muscle Strength (hand flexor and extensor muscles) (MRC), Motricity Index (MI) and modified Ashworth Scale for wrist and hand muscles (MAS), were performed at baseline (T0), after 20 sessions (end of treatment) (T1) and at the 3-month follow-up (T2). The Barthel Index was assessed only at T0 and T1. Evidence of a significant improvement was shown by the Friedman test for the FM [experimental group (EG): P=0.0039, control group (CG): P<0.0001], Box and Block Test (EG: P=0.0185, CG: P=0.0086), MI (EG: P<0.0001, CG: P=0.0303) and MRC (EG: P<0.0001, CG: P=0.001) scales. These results provide further support to the generalized therapeutic impact of intensive robot-assisted treatment on hand recovery functions in individuals with acute stroke. The robotic rehabilitation treatment may contribute toward the recovery of hand motor function in acute stroke patients. The positive results obtained through the safe and reliable robotic rehabilitation treatment reinforce the recommendation to extend it to a larger clinical practice

Kinematic parameters for tracking patient progress during upper limb robot-assisted rehabilitation: an observational study on subacute stroke subjects

Background. Upper limb robot-assisted therapy (RT) provides intensive, repetitive, and task-specific treatment, and its efficacy for stroke survivors is well established in literature. Biomechanical data from robotic devices has been widely employed for patient’s assessment, but rarely it has been analysed for tracking patient progress during RT. The goal of this retrospective study is to analyse built-in kinematic data registered by a planar end-effector robot for assessing the time course of motor recovery and patient’s workspace exploration skills. A comparison of subjects having mild and severe motor impairment has been also conducted. For that purpose, kinematic data recorded by a planar end-effector robot have been processed for investigating how motor performance in executing point-to-point trajectories with different directions changes during RT. Methods. Observational retrospective study of 68 subacute stroke patients who conducted 20 daily sessions of upper limb RT with the InMotion 2.0 (Bionik Laboratories, USA): planar point-to-point reaching tasks with an “assist as needed” strategy. The following kinematic parameters (KPs) were computed for each subject and for each point-to-point trajectory executed during RT: movement accuracy, movement speed, number of peak speed, and task completion time. The Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used with clinical outcomes. the Friedman test and post hoc Conover’s test (Bonferroni’s correction) were applied to KPs. A secondary data analysis has been conducted by comparing patients having different severities of motor impairment. The level of significance was set at p value < 0.05. Results. At the RT onset, the movements were less accurate and smoothed, and showed higher times of execution than those executed at the end of treatment. The analysis of the time course of KPs highlighted that RT seems to improve the motor function mainly in the first sessions of treatment: most KPs show significant intersession differences during the first 5/10 sessions. Afterwards, no further significant variations occurred. The ability to perform movements away from the body and from the hemiparetic side remains more challenging. The results obtained from the data stratification show significant differences between subjects with mild and severe motor impairment. Conclusion. Significant improvements in motor performance were registered during the time course of upper limb RT in subacute stroke patients. The outcomes depend on movement direction and motor impairment and pave the way to optimize healthcare resources and to design patient-tailored rehabilitative protocols

Effects of robot assisted gait training in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP): a preliminary report

Background and Purpose: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare neurodegenerative disease clinically characterized by prominent axial extrapyramidal motor symptoms with frequent falls. Over the last years the introduction of robotic technologies to recover lower limb function has been greatly employed in the rehabilitative practice. This observational trial is aimed at investigating the changes in the main spatiotemporal following end-effector robot training in people with PSP. Method: Pilot observational trial. Participants: Five cognitively intact participants with PSP and gait disorders. Interventions: Patients were submitted to a rehabilitative program of robot-assisted walking sessions for 45 min, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Main outcome measures: The spatiotemporal parameters at the beginning (T0) and at the end of treatment (T1) were recorded by a gait analysis laboratory. Results: Robot training was feasible, acceptable and safe and all participants completed the prescribed training sessions. All patients showed an improvement in the gait spatiotemporal index (Mean velocity, Cadence, Step length, and Step width) (T0 vs. T1). Conclusions: Robot training is a feasible and safe form of rehabilitation for cognitively intact people with PSP. The lack of side effects and the positive results in the gait parameter index in all patients support the recommendation to extend the trials of this treatment. Further investigation regarding the effectiveness of robot training in time is necessary. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01668407

Functional gait recovery after a combination of conventional therapy and overground robot-assisted gait training is not associated with significant changes in muscle activation pattern. An emg preliminary study on subjects subacute post stroke

Background: Overground Robot-Assisted Gait Training (o-RAGT) appears to be a promising stroke rehabilitation in terms of clinical outcomes. The literature on surface ElectroMyoGraphy (sEMG) assessment in o-RAGT is limited. This paper aimed to assess muscle activation patterns with sEMG in subjects subacute post stroke after training with o-RAGT and conventional therapy. Methods: An observational preliminary study was carried out with subjects subacute post stroke who received 15 sessions of o-RAGT (5 sessions/week; 60 min) in combination with conventional therapy. The subjects were assessed with both clinical and instrumental evaluations. Gait kinematics and sEMG data were acquired before (T1) and after (T2) the period of treatment (during ecological gait), and during the first session of o-RAGT (o-RAGT1 ). An eight-channel wireless sEMG device acquired in sEMG signals. Significant differences in sEMG outcomes were found in the BS of TA between T1 and T2. There were no other significant correlations between the sEMG outcomes and the clinical results between T1 and T2. Conclusions: There were significant functional gains in gait after complex intensive clinical rehabilitation with o-RAGT and conventional therapy. In addition, there was a significant increase in bilateral symmetry of the Tibialis Anterior muscles. At this stage of the signals from the tibialis anterior (TA), gastrocnemius medialis (GM), rectus femoris (RF), and biceps femoris caput longus (BF) muscles of each lower extremity. sEMG data processing extracted the Bilateral Symmetry (BS), the Co-Contraction (CC), and the Root Mean Square (RMS) coefficients. Results: Eight of 22 subjects in the subacute stage post stroke agreed to participate in this sEMG study. This subsample demonstrated a significant improvement in the motricity index of the affected lower limb and functional ambulation. The heterogeneity of the subjects’ characteristics and the small number of subjects was associated with high variability research, functional gait recovery was associated with minimal change in muscle activation patterns

Bilateral foot orthoses elicit changes in gait kinematics of adolescents with down syndrome with flatfoot

Background: Subjects with Down Syndrome (DS) are characterized by specific physiological alterations, including musculoskeletal abnormalities. Flat Foot (FF), caused by hypotonia and ligament laxity, represents one of the most common disabling disorders in this population. Conservative treatments promote the use of orthopaedic insoles and plantar supports. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Foot Orthoses (FOs) on the gait pattern of subjects with DS, assessing the biomechanical effects associated with their use. Methods: Twenty-nine subjects were screened under two conditions—walking barefoot (WB); with shoes and insoles (WSI), during three trials for each. Assessments were performed through the 3D gait analysis, using an optoelectronic system, force platforms, and video recording. Specifically, synthetic indices of gait kinematics, i.e., gait profile score (GPS) and gait variable score (GVS) were calculated and compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test, to evaluate between-conditions. Results: Significant variations were found in GVS foot progression index, representative of foot rotation during walking, in adolescents only. Conclusions: Bilateral FOs has a positive immediate impact on gait quality in adolescents with DS, as confirmed by quantitative analysis. FOs prescription is an evidence-based early approach to slow down biomechanical abnormalities and prevent relative symptoms

Efficacy of Robotic-Assisted Gait Training in chronic stroke patients: Preliminary results of an Italian bi-centre study

The gait recovery is a realist goal in the rehabilitation of almost Stroke patients. Over the last years, the introduction of robotic technologies in gait rehabilitation of stroke patients has had a greatest interest. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate efficacy of Robotic Gait Training (RGT) in Chronic Stroke Patients. METHODS: Fourteen chronic stroke patients were divided into two groups. Six patients received RGT, eight patients received traditional gait rehabilitation. Patients were assessed with clinical scales, as well as with gait analysis, at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. RESULTS: Significant changes in some clinical scales for both the groups were detected. In the robotic group, patients showed higher percentage changes in the MRC scale (p = 0.020), in the 6MWT (p = 0.043) and in the Ashworth scale (hip: p = 0.008; knee: p = 0.043; ankle: p = 0.043) when compared with the traditional group. With respect to the gait analysis, we did not found any difference neither in the within- group analysis, nor in the between- group analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Both rehabilitation treatments do not change the compensatory strategies in chronic patients but the RGT offers to the patients a more intensive and controlled gait training increasing the gait endurance and decreasing spasticity in the lower limb