Motions or muscles? Some behavioral factors underlying robotic assistance of motor recovery. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Robotics and related technologies have begun to realize their promise to improve the delivery of rehabilitation therapy. However, the mechanism by which they enhance recovery remains unclear. Ultimately, recovery depends on biology, yet the details of the recovery process remain largely unknown; a deeper understanding is important to accelerate refinements of robotic therapy or suggest new approaches. Fortunately, robots provide an excellent instrument platform from which to study recovery at the behavioral level. This article reviews some initial insights about the process of upper-limb behavioral recovery that have emerged from our work. Evidence to date suggests that the form of therapy may be more important than its intensity: muscle strengthening offers no advantage over movement training. Passive movement is insufficient; active participation is required. Progressive training based on measures of movement coordination yields substantially improved outcomes. Together these results indicate that movement coordination rather than muscle activation may be the most appropriate focus for robotic therapy.

publication date

  • January 1, 2006

Research

keywords

  • Exercise Therapy
  • Movement
  • Muscle Weakness
  • Robotics
  • Stroke
  • Stroke Rehabilitation

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 33751025608

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1682/jrrd.2005.06.0103

PubMed ID

  • 17123202

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 43

issue

  • 5