Rehabilitation using the HandTutor, ArmTutor and 3DTutor prevents compensatory trunk torsion during reaching functional tasks

In the March edition of Brain Research http://bit.ly/eMERcK Dr Johanna V.G. Robertsonlow and Agnès Roby-Bramia from Laboratoire de Neurophysique et Physiologie, Université Paris Descartes, CNRSParis, France and the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Raymond Poincaré Hospital, Garches studied trunk torsion degrees of freedom during reaching movements in healthy subjects and hemiparetic patients. The 3D trunk motion participates in reaching within arm's length in healthy subjects however trunk flexion is increased in stroke patients during reaching movements and the additional degrees of trunk torsion freedom participates in the compensatory strategy in hemiparetic patients.
Rehabilitation using the HandTutor and ArmTutor system incorporates the 3DTutor. Secondary feedback from the 3DTutor is displayed during active reaching movements of the arm. In this way the patient is given augmented feedback on the position and movement of their trunk during the function and is given real time movement guidance on how to reposition the trunk during the functional movement and avoid learning a compensatory movement pattern.