Painful Shoulder Rehabilitation in Hemiparesis Patients through Robotic Therapy

Abstract

A necessary and obligatory therapy after a stroke or brain damage is the repetitive functional training of upper limbs. Traditionally, the therapy is performed manually, though it is unfeasible for many patients due to the duration and the physiatrist fatigue after long sessions, which compromises the full rehabilitation of the patient. From the experiences shown by different authors regarding the complication of post-stroke hemiparesis or hemiplegic patients, suffering from pain in the shoulder syndrome (omalgia); the involvement of a mechatronic therapy team as an effective tool is considered the ideal solution for such problems. According to this purpose, this article aims at presenting the results obtained with patients from the Surgical Clinical Hospital: Juan Bruno Zayas, from Santiago de Cuba, when using an adjustable exoskeleton that provides the therapeutic control of 4 degrees of freedom: flexion-extension of the shoulder, rotation of the glenohumeral joint, flexion-extension of the elbow and prone supination of the forearm.