Faculty Advisor(s)

Kirsten Buchanan

Document Type

Course Paper

Publication Date

12-8-2014

Rights

© 2014 Maegen Johnson

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Robot-assisted gait devices have become increasingly popular as they have been shown to increase the likeliness of independent ambulation in patients who have had a stroke, while also decreasing the physical burden on the physical therapist. However, there has been minimal research investigating the impact of these devices on activities of daily living (ADL) function. Therefore, the purpose of this case report is to describe the impact of robot-assisted gait training with task specific training on the ADL function and functional mobility of an individual who experienced a stroke. Case Description: The patient was a 71-year-old male who experienced a right middle cerebral artery stroke 6 weeks prior to admission. The initial examination revealed impairments in strength, tone, balance, ADL function and functional mobility. Procedural interventions included gait training both overground and robot-assisted, task-specific training including bed mobility and transfers, balance activities, wheelchair management, stretching, and therapeutic exercise for strengthening. Outcomes: After 14 treatment sessions, the patient improved his performance of ADLs, as indicated by a 25 point increase on the Barthel Index for a total score of 50/100. He also displayed improvements in strength, balance, and functional mobility, including the ability to ambulate with minimum assistance. Discussion: Robot-assisted gait training with task-specific training was shown to improve performance of activities of daily living and functional mobility in this patient after a stroke. Due to the early discharge, it was uncertain how much more improvement in ADL function and mobility may have been gained with the intended amount of therapy. Future studies should investigate the benefits of robot-assisted gait training and task-specific physical therapy techniques on ADL performance in this population.

Comments

The case report poster for this paper can be found here:

http://dune.une.edu/pt_studcrposter/32.

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