A study of arm support orthosis for upper extremity rehabilitation after stroke using a single joint type of HAL^® (HAL-SJ)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of two types of arm weight support orthoses for the single joint type of hybrid assistive limb (HAL-SJ). We used Portable Spring Balancer (PSB) and HAL-SJ tabletop mount (HSTM) with HAL-SJ for upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Eight cases were included in this study. The evaluation was performed using Brunnstrom recovery stages (BRS) and patients impressions, and the wave patterns of bioelectrical signals on monitor with a HAL-SJ controller. In the case of BRS III and IV, patients’ /impressions were better with the HSTM method compared with PSB. Concerning the bioelectrical signal patterns, the PSB method had a tendency toward extensor predominance. On the other hand, the HSTM method showed flexor predominance. This study demonstrated that each rehabilitation method has advantages and disadvantages. Based on these results, stroke rehabilitation using HAL-SJ may be tailor-made using these methods for each patient at different stages of hemiparesis.