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An ankle rehabilitation patient performs
exercises on the 'Rutgers Ankle' during
proof-of-concept
patient trails at UMDNJ
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| (Click to see a larger image) |
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Rehabilitation of Musculoskeletal Injuries
The system underwent pilot clinical trials in an outpatient
clinic during the summer of 2000. The goals of the pilot tests were to determine
how well the current design of the interface worked in a clinical
setting and to provide preliminary evidence of whether patients
benefited from incorporating the "Rutgers Ankle" into
their rehabilitation program. The three patients participating
in the study showed improvements in range of motion, torque generation
capacity, and ankle mechanical work over six rehabilitation sessions.
See (Deutsch et al., 2001a) above for more information.
Post-Stroke Rehabilitation
In (Deutsch et al., 2001b), a case study
is presented of a patient nine-months post-stroke using the "Rutgers Ankle."
Results showed that over six rehabilitation sessions the patient improved on clinical
measures of strength and endurance, which corresponded well with torque and power
output increases measured by the Rutgers Ankle. There were also substantial improvements
in task accuracy and coordination during the simulation and the patient’s walking and stair
climbing ability.
Proof-of-Concept Trials
Proof-of-concept patient trials were conducted at the University of Medicine
and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) in 1999.
We were able to successfully use the device with a diverse group
of patients who responded favorably to the experience. We were also able to
record performance data for displacement, force, and torque. See
(Girone et al., 2000) for more information.
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