Robot Gloves for Hemiplegia Finger Rehabilitation

Hemiplegia is a condition characterized by paralysis on one side of the body caused by brain damage or spinal cord injury. It causes muscle weakness, muscle control issues, and muscle stiffness. The severity of hemiplegia symptoms varies according to the location and severity of the injury.

After a stroke, a person with hemiplegia’s hand usually lacks voluntary finger extension, which opens the hand.

Simultaneously, the hand is also subjected to involuntary contraction of finger flexor muscles that close the hand, resulting in clenched fists and thumb-in-palm deformities.

It is often accompanied by these side effects:

·         Muscle spasticity (weakness in the muscles)

·         Muscle atrophy (loss of muscle strength)

·         Seizures

·         Pain

Physical  therapy occurs largely in a hospital or clinical settings but can migrate toward home therapy thanks to the cutting-edge technology of the Robotic Rehabilitation Glove: SIFREHAB-1.1

The robotic rehabilitation gloves mobilize finger joints and work both in flexion and extension. Even on the patient who has no active residual movement, it is possible to apply passive mobilization from the first stages of treatment. The software offers many possibilities for the customization of the therapy.

Furthermore, the Portable Rehabilitation Robotic Gloves: SIFREHAB-1.0 would amplify force in the direction the user tries to move (open or close hand).

The glove can also provide resistance in the opposite direction to help the user with movement stabilization or muscle tone exercise. The design could be implemented for a wide range of users and needs, particularly hemiplegia patients.

SIFREHAB-1.0 and SIFREHAB-1.1 offer a low-cost, safe, intensive, and task-oriented rehabilitation through home therapy, which can help improve efficacy by incorporating the recovery of daily-living-activity functions as well as an environmental adjustment at home. The ability to perform rehabilitation at home benefits functional and psychological performance as well as independence.

To summarize, a person with hemiplegia who adheres to an effective treatment plan may be able to improve their symptoms over time with the use of rehabilitative robotic gloves, and of course, changing their lifestyle will also help them.

References : Hemiplegia: Causes and Treatments for Partial Paralysis, Improving Holding Function of the HemiplegicHand