Articles

Mobility related physical and functional losses due to aging and disease - a motivation for lower limb exoskeletons

Physical and functional losses due to aging and diseases decrease human mobility, independence, and quality of life. This study is aimed at summarizing and quantifying these losses in order to motivate solutio...

Authors: Martin Grimmer, Robert Riener, Conor James Walsh and André Seyfarth

User-centered practicability analysis of two identification strategies in electrode arrays for FES induced hand motion in early stroke rehabilitation

Surface electrode arrays have become popular in the application of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on the forearm. Arrays consist of multiple, small elements, which can be activated separately or in gr...

Authors: Christina Salchow-Hömmen, Natalie Jankowski, Markus Valtin, Laura Schönijahn, Sebastian Böttcher, Frank Dähne and Thomas Schauer

Validating attentive locomotion training using interactive treadmill: an fNIRS study

Existing treadmill-based locomotion training, which has been used for gait function recovery, still has limitations, such as less attentive training. Interactive treadmills (ITMs) were developed to overcome th...

Authors: Seunghue Oh, Minsu Song and Jonghyun Kim

Transcranial direct current stimulation for promoting motor function in cerebral palsy: a review

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to improve motor function in a range of neurological conditions, including Cerebral Palsy (CP). Although there have been many studies assessing ...

Authors: Melanie K. Fleming, Tim Theologis, Rachel Buckingham and Heidi Johansen-Berg

Correction to: Dissociating motor learning from recovery in exoskeleton training post-stroke

The original article [1] contained an error whereby the co-author, Karima Bakhti’s name was displayed incorrectly.

Authors: Nicolas Schweighofer, Chunji Wang, Denis Mottet, Isabelle Laffont, Karima Bakhti, David J. Reinkensmeyer and Olivier Rémy-Néris

Muscle fatigue assessment during robot-mediated movements

Several neuromuscular disorders present muscle fatigue as a typical symptom. Therefore, a reliable method of fatigue assessment may be crucial for understanding how specific disease features evolve over time a...

Authors: Maddalena Mugnosso, Francesca Marini, Michael Holmes, Pietro Morasso and Jacopo Zenzeri

Why orthotic devices could be of help in the management of Movement Disorders in the young

Movement Disorders (MD) are a class of disease that impair the daily activities of patients, conditioning their sensorimotor, cognitive and behavioural capabilities. Nowadays, the general management of patient...

Authors: Lorenzo Garavaglia, Emanuela Pagliano, Giovanni Baranello and Simone Pittaccio

Evaluation of the Keeogo exoskeleton for assisting ambulatory activities in people with multiple sclerosis: an open-label, randomized, cross-over trial

Although physical activity and exercise is known to benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS), the ability of these individuals to participate in such interventions is difficult due to the mobility impairmen...

Authors: Chris A. McGibbon, Andrew Sexton, Arun Jayaraman, Susan Deems-Dluhy, Pearl Gryfe, Alison Novak, Tilak Dutta, Eric Fabara, Catherine Adans-Dester and Paolo Bonato

On the use of approximate entropy and sample entropy with centre of pressure time-series

Approximate entropy (ApEn) and sample entropy (SampEn) have been previously used to quantify the regularity in centre of pressure (COP) time-series in different experimental groups and/or conditions. ApEn and ...

Authors: Luis Montesinos, Rossana Castaldo and Leandro Pecchia

Stochastic resonance stimulation improves balance in children with cerebral palsy: a case control study

Stochastic Resonance (SR) Stimulation has been used to enhance balance in populations with sensory deficits by improving the detection and transmission of afferent information. Despite the potential promise of...

Authors: Anastasia Zarkou, Samuel C. K. Lee, Laura A. Prosser, Sungjae Hwang and John Jeka

Generalizing remotely supervised transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): feasibility and benefit in Parkinson’s disease

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been shown to improve common symptoms of neurological disorders like depressed mood, fatigue, motor deficit...

Authors: Bryan Dobbs, Natalie Pawlak, Milton Biagioni, Shashank Agarwal, Michael Shaw, Giuseppina Pilloni, Marom Bikson, Abhishek Datta and Leigh Charvet

Virtual reality experiences, embodiment, videogames and their dimensions in neurorehabilitation

In the context of stroke rehabilitation, new training approaches mediated by virtual reality and videogames are usually discussed and evaluated together in reviews and meta-analyses. This represents a serious ...

Authors: Daniel Perez-Marcos

Questionnaire results of user experiences with wearable exoskeletons and their preferences for sensory feedback

Wearable exoskeletons can be a powerful tool for the facilitation of ambulation of complete Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) subjects, which has several psychological and physical advantages. However, exoskeleton cont...

Authors: Heidi Muijzer-Witteveen, Nienke Sibum, Rosanne van Dijsseldonk, Noël Keijsers and Edwin van Asseldonk

Experimental comparisons of passive and powered ankle-foot orthoses in individuals with limb reconstruction

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFO) are commonly prescribed to provide functional assistance for patients with lower limb injuries or weakness. Their passive mechanical elements can provide some energy return to improve...

Authors: Elizabeth Russell Esposito, Kelly A. Schmidtbauer and Jason M. Wilken

On the design of EEG-based movement decoders for completely paralyzed stroke patients

Brain machine interface (BMI) technology has demonstrated its efficacy for rehabilitation of paralyzed chronic stroke patients. The critical component in BMI-training consists of the associative connection (co...

Authors: Martin Spüler, Eduardo López-Larraz and Ander Ramos-Murguialday

Overground walking with a robotic exoskeleton elicits trunk muscle activity in people with high-thoracic motor-complete spinal cord injury

The trunk muscles are critical for postural control. Recent neurophysiological studies have revealed sparing of trunk muscle function in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) classified with thoracic or ce...

Authors: Raed A. Alamro, Amanda E. Chisholm, Alison M. M. Williams, Mark G. Carpenter and Tania Lam

Regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces for real-time, proportional control of a Neuroprosthetic hand

Regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNIs) are biological constructs which amplify neural signals and have shown long-term stability in rat models. Real-time control of a neuroprosthesis in rat models ha...

Authors: Christopher M. Frost, Daniel C. Ursu, Shane M. Flattery, Andrej Nedic, Cheryl A. Hassett, Jana D. Moon, Patrick J. Buchanan, R. Brent Gillespie, Theodore A. Kung, Stephen W. P. Kemp, Paul S. Cederna and Melanie G. Urbanchek

Trends in robot-assisted and virtual reality-assisted neuromuscular therapy: a systematic review of health-related multiplayer games

Multiplayer games have emerged as a promising approach to increase the motivation of patients involved in rehabilitation therapy. In this systematic review, we evaluated recent publications in health-related m...

Authors: Kilian Baur, Alexandra Schättin, Eling D. de Bruin, Robert Riener, Jaime E. Duarte and Peter Wolf

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for upper limb rehabilitation after stroke: future directions.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a potentially useful tool to improve upper limb rehabilitation outcomes after stroke, although its effects in this regard have shown to be limited so far. Addi...

Authors: Bernhard Elsner, Joachim Kugler and Jan Mehrholz

Machine learning algorithms for activity recognition in ambulant children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability among children (2.5 to 3.6 cases per 1000 live births). Inadequate physical activity (PA) is a major problem effecting the health and well-being of ch...

Authors: Matthew Ahmadi, Margaret O’Neil, Maria Fragala-Pinkham, Nancy Lennon and Stewart Trost

Kinect-based assessment of proximal arm non-use after a stroke

After a stroke, during seated reaching with their paretic upper limb, many patients spontaneously replace the use of their arm by trunk compensation movements, even though they are able to use their arm when f...

Authors: K. K. A. Bakhti, I. Laffont, M. Muthalib, J. Froger and D. Mottet

Effect of high-frequency alternating current transcutaneous stimulation over muscle strength: a controlled pilot study

High-frequency alternating currents of greater than 1 kHz applied on peripheral nerves has been used in animal studies to produce a motor nerve block. It has been evidenced that frequencies higher than 5 kHz a...

Authors: Diego Serrano-Muñoz, Juan Avendaño-Coy, Cristina Simón-Martínez, Julian Taylor and Julio Gómez-Soriano

Overground walking patterns after chronic incomplete spinal cord injury show distinct response patterns to unloading

Body weight support (BWS) is often provided to incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) patients during rehabilitation to enable gait training before full weight-bearing is recovered. Emerging robotic devices enab...

Authors: Christopher Schmidt Easthope, Luca Renato Traini, Lea Awai, Martina Franz, Georg Rauter, Armin Curt and Marc Bolliger

Impact of antagonistic muscle co-contraction on in vivo knee contact forces

The onset and progression of osteoarthritis, but also the wear and loosening of the components of an artificial joint, are commonly associated with mechanical overloading of the structures. Knowledge of the me...

Authors: Adam Trepczynski, Ines Kutzner, Verena Schwachmeyer, Markus O. Heller, Tilman Pfitzner and Georg N. Duda

Time course of changes in motor-cognitive exergame performances during task-specific training in patients with dementia: identification and predictors of early training response

Some studies have already suggested that exergame interventions can be effective to improve physical, cognitive, motor-cognitive, and psychological outcomes in patients with dementia (PwD). However, little is ...

Authors: Christian Werner, Rebekka Rosner, Stefanie Wiloth, Nele Christin Lemke, Jürgen M. Bauer and Klaus Hauer

Amputee perception of prosthetic ankle stiffness during locomotion

Prosthetic feet are spring-like, and their stiffness critically affects the wearer’s stability, comfort, and energetic cost of walking. Despite the importance of stiffness in ambulation, the prescription proce...

Authors: Max K. Shepherd, Alejandro F. Azocar, Matthew J. Major and Elliott J. Rouse

Speed-adaptive control of functional electrical stimulation for dropfoot correction

Functional electrical stimulation is an important therapy technique for dropfoot correction. In order to achieve natural control, the parameter setting of FES should be associated with the activation of the ti...

Authors: Guangtao Chen, Le Ma, Rong Song, Le Li, Xiaoyun Wang and Kaiyu Tong

Vision-based assessment of parkinsonism and levodopa-induced dyskinesia with pose estimation

Despite the effectiveness of levodopa for treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD), prolonged usage leads to development of motor complications, most notably levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). Persons with PD and...

Authors: Michael H. Li, Tiago A. Mestre, Susan H. Fox and Babak Taati

Assessment of a markerless motion analysis system for manual wheelchair application

Wheelchair biomechanics research advances accessibility and clinical care for manual wheelchair users. Standardized outcome assessments are vital tools for tracking progress, but there is a strong need for mor...

Authors: Jacob Rammer, Brooke Slavens, Joseph Krzak, Jack Winters, Susan Riedel and Gerald Harris

Manual wheelchair downhill stability: an analysis of factors affecting tip probability

For people who use manual wheelchairs, tips and falls can result in serious injuries including bone fractures, concussions, and traumatic brain injury. We aimed to characterize how wheelchair configuration cha...

Authors: Louise Thomas, Jaimie Borisoff and Carolyn J. Sparrey

Assessment of upper limb use in children with typical development and neurodevelopmental disorders by inertial sensors: a systematic review

Understanding development of bimanual upper limb (UL) activities in both typical and atypical conditions in children is important for: i) tailoring rehabilitation programs, ii) monitoring progress, iii) determ...

Authors: Irene Braito, Martina Maselli, Giuseppina Sgandurra, Emanuela Inguaggiato, Elena Beani, Francesca Cecchi, Giovanni Cioni and Roslyn Boyd

Precise estimation of human corticospinal excitability associated with the levels of motor imagery-related EEG desynchronization extracted by a locked-in amplifier algorithm

Physical motor exercise aided by an electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) is known to improve motor recovery in patients with stroke. In such a BCI paradigm, event-related desynchroni...

Authors: Kensho Takahashi, Kenji Kato, Nobuaki Mizuguchi and Junichi Ushiba

Walking and balance outcomes for stroke survivors: a randomized clinical trial comparing body-weight-supported treadmill training with versus without challenging mobility skills

Treadmill training, with or without body-weight support (BWSTT), typically involves high step count, faster walking speed, and higher heart-rate intensity than overground walking training. The addition of chal...

Authors: Sarah A. Graham, Elliot J. Roth and David A. Brown

Identification of forearm skin zones with similar muscle activation patterns during activities of daily living

A deeper knowledge of the activity of the forearm muscles during activities of daily living (ADL) could help to better understand the role of those muscles and allow clinicians to treat motor dysfunctions more...

Authors: Néstor J. Jarque-Bou, Margarita Vergara, Joaquín L. Sancho-Bru, Alba Roda-Sales and Verónica Gracia-Ibáñez

Exploiting the heightened phase synchrony in patients with neuromuscular disease for the establishment of efficient motor imagery BCIs

Phase synchrony has extensively been studied for understanding neural coordination in health and disease. There are a few studies concerning the implications in the context of BCIs, but its potential for estab...

Authors: Kostas Georgiadis, Nikos Laskaris, Spiros Nikolopoulos and Ioannis Kompatsiaris

Dissociating motor learning from recovery in exoskeleton training post-stroke

A large number of robotic or gravity-supporting devices have been developed for rehabilitation of upper extremity post-stroke. Because these devices continuously monitor performance data during training, they ...

Authors: Nicolas Schweighofer, Chunji Wang, Denis Mottet, Isabelle Laffont, Karima Bakhti, David J. Reinkensmeyer and Olivier Rémy-Néris

Development of a 3D, networked multi-user virtual reality environment for home therapy after stroke

Impairment of upper extremity function is a common outcome following stroke, to the detriment of lifestyle and employment opportunities. Yet, access to treatment may be limited due to geographical and transpor...

Authors: Kristen M Triandafilou, Daria Tsoupikova, Alexander J Barry, Kelly N Thielbar, Nikolay Stoykov and Derek G Kamper

Automated functional upper limb evaluation of patients with Friedreich ataxia using serious games rehabilitation exercises

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is a disease with neurological and systemic involvement. Clinical assessment tools commonly used for FRDA become less effective in evaluating decay in patients with advanced FRDA, part...

Authors: Bruno Bonnechère, Bart Jansen, Inès Haack, Lubos Omelina, Véronique Feipel, Serge Van Sint Jan and Massimo Pandolfo

Powered ankle-foot orthoses: the effects of the assistance on healthy and impaired users while walking

In the last two decades, numerous powered ankle-foot orthoses have been developed. Despite similar designs and control strategies being shared by some of these devices, their performance in terms of achieving ...

Authors: Marta Moltedo, Tomislav Baček, Tom Verstraten, Carlos Rodriguez-Guerrero, Bram Vanderborght and Dirk Lefeber

Sensor-based postural feedback is more effective than conventional feedback to improve lumbopelvic movement control in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomised controlled trial

Improving movement control can be an important treatment goal for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Although external feedback is essential when learning new movement skills, many aspects of feedback...

Authors: Thomas Matheve, Simon Brumagne, Christophe Demoulin and Annick Timmermans

Effects of gait support in patients with spinocerebellar degeneration by a wearable robot based on synchronization control

Spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD) mainly manifests a cerebellar ataxic gait, leading to marked postural sway and the risk of falling down. Gait support using a wearable robot is expected to be an effective so...

Authors: Atsushi Tsukahara, Kunihiro Yoshida, Akira Matsushima, Kumiko Ajima, Chika Kuroda, Noriaki Mizukami and Minoru Hashimoto

Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation plus tracking training therapy in people with stroke: an open-label feasibility study

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an effective neuromodulation adjunct to repetitive motor training in promoting motor recovery post-stroke. Finger tracking training is motor training whereby p...

Authors: Ann Van de Winckel, James R. Carey, Teresa A. Bisson, Elsa C. Hauschildt, Christopher D. Streib and William K. Durfee

Dual-task training of children with neuromotor disorders during robot-assisted gait therapy: prerequisites of patients and influence on leg muscle activity

Walking in daily life is complex entailing various prerequisites such as leg strength, trunk stability or cognitive and motor dual task (DT) activities. Conventional physiotherapy can be complemented with robo...

Authors: Sandra Ricklin, Andreas Meyer-Heim and Hubertus J. A. van Hedel

Energy storing and return prosthetic feet improve step length symmetry while preserving margins of stability in persons with transtibial amputation

Energy storing and return (ESAR) feet are generally preferred over solid ankle cushioned heel (SACH) feet by people with a lower limb amputation. While ESAR feet have been shown to have only limited effect on ...

Authors: Han Houdijk, Daphne Wezenberg, Laura Hak and Andrea Giovanni Cutti

The role of exercise testing in predicting successful ambulation with a lower extremity prosthesis: a systematic literature review and clinical practice guideline

Growing discontent with the k-level system for functional classification of patients with limb loss and movement of healthcare toward evidence-based practice has resulted in the need for alternative forms of f...

Authors: Tyler D. Klenow, Larry J. Mengelkoch, Phillip M. Stevens, Chris A. Ràbago, Owen T. Hill, Gail A. Latlief, Rodrigo Ruiz-Gamboa and M. Jason Highsmith

Reference values for gait temporal and loading symmetry of lower-limb amputees can help in refocusing rehabilitation targets

The literature suggests that optimal levels of gait symmetry might exist for lower-limb amputees. Not only these optimal values are unknown, but we also don’t know typical symmetry ratios or which measures of ...

Authors: Andrea Giovanni Cutti, Gennaro Verni, Gian Luca Migliore, Amedeo Amoresano and Michele Raggi

Control within a virtual environment is correlated to functional outcomes when using a physical prosthesis

Advances such as targeted muscle reinnervation and pattern recognition control may provide improved control of upper limb myoelectric prostheses, but evaluating user function remains challenging. Virtual envir...

Authors: Levi Hargrove, Laura Miller, Kristi Turner and Todd Kuiken

The risk of major cardiovascular events for adults with transfemoral amputation

It is well-known that the risk of cardiac disease is increased for those with lower-limb amputations, likely as a result of the etiology of the amputation. Using a longitudinal population-based dataset, we exa...

Authors: Benjamin F. Mundell, Marianne T. Luetmer, Hilal Maradit Kremers, Sue Visscher, Kurtis M. Hoppe and Kenton R. Kaufman

Economic value of orthotic and prosthetic services among medicare beneficiaries: a claims-based retrospective cohort study, 2011–2014

There are few studies of the economic value of orthotic and prosthetic services. A prior cohort study of orthotic and prosthetic Medicare beneficiaries based on Medicare Parts A and B claims from 2007 to 2010 ...

Authors: Allen Dobson, Kennan Murray, Nikolay Manolov and Joan E. DaVanzo

Advancements in prosthetics and orthotics: overview of the Journal of NeuroEngineering & Rehabilitation’s special topic edition

Authors: M. Jason Highsmith, Phil M. Stevens, Michael S. Orendurff and Andreas Kannenberg