Upper limb coordination during reach to grasp tasks performed at self-selected and maximal speeds

Stroke affects 110 000 people every year in England (Dept. Health, 2007). Post-stroke upper limb impairment often restricts reach to grasp tasks. This work forms part of on-going research aimed at developing a rehabilitation system using functional electrical stimulation (FES), mediated by advanced iterative learning control (ILC) algorithms. Performance error during a task is corrected by ILC, using data from previous trials to update the FES signal during the subsequent trial (Freeman et al., 2012). The aim of this work was to quantify upper limb coordination during reach to grasp tasks, with the purpose of informing the ILC control algorithms to be used with FES

A qualitative study exploring views and experiences of people with stroke undergoing transcranial direct current stimulation and upper limb robot therapy

BackgroundNeurorehabilitation technologies used mainly in research such as robot therapy (RT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can promote upper limb motor recovery after stroke. Understanding the feasibility and efficacy of stroke rehabilitation technologies for upper limb impairments is crucial for effective implementation in practice. Small studies have explored views of RT by people with stroke; however experiences of people receiving tDCS in combination with RT have never been explored.ObjectiveTo explore views and experiences of people with sub-acute and chronic stroke that had previously taken part in a randomised controlled trial involving tDCS and RT for their impaired upper limb.MethodsAn interview study includes open and closed questions. Face-to-face interviews were audio recorded. Open-ended question responses were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis; closed questions were analyzed using descriptive analysis.ResultsParticipants felt that RT was enjoyable (90%) and beneficial for their affected arm (100%). From the open question data, it was found that the intervention was effective for the impaired arm especially in the sub-acute stage. Main reported concerns were that tDCS caused painful, itching and burning sensations and RT was sometimes tiring and difficult. Participants recommended that future research should focus on designing a more comfortable method of tDCS and develop a robot that promotes hand movements.ConclusionsThis study provides new knowledge about the benefits and barriers associated with these technologies which are crucial to the future effective implementation of these tools in practice.</p