Tech-advanced rehabilitation
THIS year’s World Stroke Day theme – stroke is treatable – is a beacon of hope for stroke survivors.
It recognises that although stroke is a complex medical issue, there are ways to significantly reduce its impact, whether through prevention or effective treatment and rehabilitation.
As one of the main drivers of healthcare advancement, technology plays a great role in improving stroke rehabilitation.
It has a central role in mobility training and therapy today, with current and future applications supporting the notion that there is hope for a good quality of life poststroke.
Humble beginnings
The usage of electrical stimulation in targeted physiotherapy was not always the prescribed rehabilitation method for stroke patients – in fact, prior to the 1950s, physiotherapy was not popular in this area as physical activity was vehemently discouraged after a stroke.
In functional electrical stimulation, the actions of healthy muscles are imitated using small electrical signals that stimulate the nerves of the affected area.
This electrical activity induces the contraction of muscles, which aids in their quick recovery and relearning.
The signals come from nerve stimulators in the form of a small control box worn on the body or surgically implantable devices placed under the skin.
Although widely used to improve the lower extremity of stroke patients – particularly to treat foot drop – it is also applicable to leg and arm muscles.
Regular prescribed sessions of electrical stimulation have proven to improve independent muscle function in shorter periods of time.
Robot-assisted therapy is when specially designed machines take the place of a human physiotherapist, coaching patients through repeated exercises to train muscles affected by their stroke.
Using robots and machines in rehabilitation allows patients to carry out their exercises even at home. On top of that, robots are more effective because they help with more repetitions than a therapist is typically able to.