1. Customized Device for Pediatric Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Obstetric Brachial Palsy
- Author
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Max E. Valentinuzzi, Elisa Perez, Nicolás de Diego, Rafael Hernández, Natalia López, and Gustavo Ensinck
- Subjects
Male ,Humeral Fractures ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Medical staff ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Elbow ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,INGENIERÍAS Y TECNOLOGÍAS ,Electromyography ,Biceps ,Upper Limb ,Upper Extremity ,Physical medicine and rehabilitation ,medicine ,Humans ,Brachial Plexus Neuropathies ,Child ,Ingeniería Médica ,Rehabilitation ,Palsy ,Equipment Safety ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,Multiple Trauma ,business.industry ,Accidents, Traffic ,Equipment Design ,Recovery of Function ,Robotics ,Exercise Therapy ,Orthopedic Fixation Devices ,Exoskeleton ,Erb-Duchenne Palsy ,Treatment Outcome ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Physical therapy ,Upper limb ,Brachial Plexus Palsy ,business ,Upper limb rehabilitation ,Follow-Up Studies - Abstract
A 12-yr-old child, with a history of gestational Erb-Duchenne palsy and, later, musculoskeletal injuries in the left arm caused by a car accident, inspired the design of a customized exoskeleton-like device. Such piece, intended for rehabilitation, has one degree of freedom because the exercise routine involves elbow flexion-extension, which was indicated for the damaged muscular group. The device has two functioning modes, passive and assisted, in which the patient can trigger the movement by a biceps contraction, thus promoting the active role of the user in the rehabilitation process. The results were evaluated in terms of qualitative measures of the biceps and the triceps performed by the medical staff and by a questionnaire related to functional activities of the upper limb. A significant improvement in the arm movement and elbow angle was observed after 3 mos of assisted therapy, complementary to conventional exercises. In conclusion, a simple and low-cost device was designed and tested to complement the rehabilitation process of a pediatric patient with physical impairment. Fil: López Celani, Natalia Martina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: de Diego, Nicolás. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina Fil: Hernández, Rafael. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina Fil: Pérez, Elisa. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina Fil: Ensinck, Gustavo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina Fil: Valentinuzzi, Maximo. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Electrónica y Automática. Gabinete de Tecnología Médica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina
- Published
- 2014
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