The Impact of Robotic Therapy on the Self-Perception of Upper Limb Function in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of robotic therapy in patients with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), measured on the basis of the patients' self-perception of limited upper limb function and level of independence in activities of daily living. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with cervical SCI completed the treatment after being randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The training consisted of 40 experimental sessions 1 h in duration, ideally occurring 5 days/week for 8 weeks. In addition to the conventional daily therapy (30 min), the control group received another 30 min of conventional therapy, whereas the intervention group received 30 min of robotic therapy. Patients were evaluated by means of the Capabilities of Upper Extremity Questionnaire (CUE) and Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) clinical scales. RESULTS: The improvement in the feeding item of SCIM was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group after the treatment (2.00 (0.91) vs. 1.18 (0.89), p = 0.03). The correlation between the CUE and SCIM scales was higher at the ending than at baseline for both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although both groups improved, the clinical relevance related to the changes observed for both assessments was slightly higher in the intervention group than in the control group.

Terapia robótica con el exoesqueleto H2 en la rehabilitación de la marcha en pacientes con lesión medular incompleta. Una experiencia clínica / Robot therapy with the H2 exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation in patients with incomplete spinal cord injry. A clinical experience

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[Robot therapy with the H2 exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation in patients with incomplete spinal cord injry. A clinical experience]. / Terapia robótica con el exoesqueleto H2 en la rehabilitación de la marcha en pacientes con lesión medular incompleta. Una experiencia clínica.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Robotic exoskeletons have emerged as a promising tool in gait rehabilitation in patients with a spinal cord injury. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical applicability of a new robotic exoskeleton model (Exo H2) in the rehabilitation of people with incomplete spinal cord injury. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Exo H2 exoskeleton training was performed for 15 sessions in patients with incomplete subacute spinal cord injury. We analysed the appearance of undesirable events and the patient's perception of pain, fatigue and comfort. In addition, a pilot test was carried out on the possible effectiveness of the device by analysing gait characteristics before and after treatment measured by the 10mWT, the 6mWT, the TUG, the WISCI-II, and the impact on the SCIM III scale. RESULTS: Of a group of 8 patients recruited, we were able to analyse data from 4. No undesirable effects were reported. The VAS value was 2.28±1.55 for pain, 3.75±1.55 for fatigue and 4.17±1.68 for comfort. All values improved on the WISCI-I and the TUG and almost all in the 10MWT and in the 6MWT. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the Exo H2 exoskeleton was robust during a clinical protocol for gait rehabilitation. The treatment was safe, without undesirable effects and with good patient tolerance. These results might justify the performance of clinical trials with an adequate sample size.

Simultaneous estimation of human and exoskeleton motion: A simplified protocol.

Adequate benchmarking procedures in the area of wearable robots is gaining importance in order to compare different devices on a quantitative basis, improve them and support the standardization and regulation procedures. Performance assessment usually focuses on the execution of locomotion tasks, and is mostly based on kinematic-related measures. Typical drawbacks of marker-based motion capture systems, gold standard for measure of human limb motion, become challenging when measuring limb kinematics, due to the concomitant presence of the robot. This work answers the question of how to reliably assess the subject's body motion by placing markers over the exoskeleton. Focusing on the ankle joint, the proposed methodology showed that it is possible to reconstruct the trajectory of the subject's joint by placing markers on the exoskeleton, although foot flexibility during walking can impact the reconstruction accuracy. More experiments are needed to confirm this hypothesis, and more subjects and walking conditions are needed to better characterize the errors of the proposed methodology, although our results are promising, indicating small errors.

Shoulder kinetics and ultrasonography changes after performing a high-intensity task in spinal cord injury subjects and healthy controls.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/sc.2015.140.

Modular control of gait after incomplete spinal cord injury: differences between sides.

STUDY DESIGN: This is an analytical descriptive study. OBJECTIVES: The main goal of this study was to compare the modular organization of bilateral lower limb control in incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) patients during overground walking, using muscle synergies analysis. The secondary goal was to determine whether the similarity between the patients and control group correlate with clinical indicators of walking performance. SETTING: This study was conducted in National Hospital for Spinal Cord Injury (Toledo, Spain). METHODS: Eight iSCI patients and eight healthy subjects completed 10 walking trials at matched speed. For each trial, three-dimensional motion analysis and surface electromyography (sEMG) analysis of seven leg muscles from both limbs were performed. Muscle synergies were extracted from sEMG signals using a non-negative matrix factorization algorithm. The optimal number of synergies has been defined as the minimum number needed to obtain variability accounted for (VAF) ⩾90%. RESULTS: When compared with healthy references, iSCI patients showed fewer muscle synergies in the most affected side and, in both sides, significant differences in the composition of synergy 2. The degree of similarity of these variables with the healthy reference, together with the composition of synergy 3 of the most affected side, presented significant correlations (P<0.05) with walking performance. CONCLUSION: The analysis of muscle synergies shows potential to detect differences between the two sides in patients with iSCI. Specifically, the VAF may constitute a new neurophysiological metric to assess and monitor patients' condition throughout the gait recovery process.

Diagnostic reference levels and complexity indices in interventional radiology: a national programme.

OBJECTIVES: To propose national diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) for interventional radiology and to evaluate the impact of the procedural complexity on patient doses. METHODS: Eight interventional radiology units from Spanish hospitals were involved in this project. The participants agreed to undergo common quality control procedures for X-ray systems. Kerma area product (KAP) was collected from a sample of 1,649 procedures. A consensus document established the criteria to evaluate the complexity of seven types of procedures. DRLs were set as the 3rd quartile of KAP values. RESULTS: The KAP (3rd quartile) in Gy cm2 for the procedures included in the survey were: lower extremity arteriography (n = 784) 78; renal arteriography (n = 37) 107; transjugular hepatic biopsies (THB) (n = 30) 45; biliary drainage (BD) (n = 314) 30; uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) (n = 56) 214; colon endoprostheses (CE) (n = 31) 169; hepatic chemoembolization (HC) (n = 269) 303; femoropopliteal revascularization (FR) (n = 62) 119; and iliac stent (n = 66) 170. The complexity involved the increases in the following KAP factors from simple to complex procedures: THB x4; BD x13; UFE x3; CE x3; HC x5; FR x5 and IS x4. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation of the procedure complexity in patient doses will allow the proper use of DRLs for the optimization of interventional radiology. KEY POINTS: • National DRLs for interventional procedures have been proposed given level of complexity • For clinical audits, the level of complexity should be taken into account. • An evaluation of the complexity levels of the procedure should be made.

Effectiveness of the Virtual Reality System Toyra on Upper Limb Function in People with Tetraplegia: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a virtual reality program combined with conventional therapy in upper limb function in people with tetraplegia and to provide data about patients' satisfaction with the virtual reality system. Thirty-one people with subacute complete cervical tetraplegia participated in the study. Experimental group received 15 sessions with Toyra(®) virtual reality system for 5 weeks, 30 minutes/day, 3 days/week in addition to conventional therapy, while control group only received conventional therapy. All patients were assessed at baseline, after intervention, and at three-month follow-up with a battery of clinical, functional, and satisfaction scales. Control group showed significant improvements in the manual muscle test (p = 0,043, partial η (2) = 0,22) in the follow-up evaluation. Both groups demonstrated clinical, but nonsignificant, changes to their arm function in 4 of the 5 scales used. All patients showed a high level of satisfaction with the virtual reality system. This study showed that virtual reality added to conventional therapy produces similar results in upper limb function compared to only conventional therapy. Moreover, the gaming aspects incorporated in conventional rehabilitation appear to produce high motivation during execution of the assigned tasks. This trial is registered with EudraCT number 2015-002157-35.

Shoulder kinetics and ultrasonography changes after performing a high-intensity task in spinal cord injury subjects and healthy controls.

STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective and comparative study between two groups. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the changes in shoulder joint forces and their moments, as well as any possible ultrasound changes, when subjects with spinal cord injury (SCI) and healthy controls (CG) undertake a high-intensity manual wheelchair propulsion test. SETTING: This study was conducted in an inpatient SCI rehabilitation center. METHODS: A group of 22 subjects with SCI at level T2 or below who use a manual wheelchair (MWU), categorized as AIS grade A or B, were compared with a CG of 12 healthy subjects. Subjects in each group performed a high-intensity wheelchair propulsion test. The variables analyzed were shoulder joint forces and the moments at the beginning and at the end of the test. Ultrasound variables before and after the propulsion test were also analyzed. Correlations were also drawn between the ultrasonography and demographic variables. RESULTS: In both groups, peak shoulder forces and moments increased after the test in almost all directions. No differences in the ultrasound parameters were found. A greater long-axis biceps tendon thickness (LBTT) was associated with more shoulder pain according to WUSPI or VAS (r=0.428, P<0.05 and r=0.452, P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Shoulder joint forces and moments increase after an intense propulsion task. In subjects with SCI, these increases center on forces with less chance of producing subacromial damage. No changes are produced in ultrasonography variables, whereas a poorer clinical and functional evaluation of the shoulder of the MWUs appears to be related to a thicker long-axis biceps tendon.

Eficacia de nuevas terapias en la neurorrehabilitación del miembro superior en pacientes con ictus / Efficacy of new therapies for upper limb neurorehabilitation in stroke patients

Objetivo. Revisar la eficacia del entrenamiento motor bilateral de los miembros superiores, la terapia de restricción del lado sano, la terapia frente a espejo, la estimulación eléctrica funcional, la terapia robótica y la terapia con realidad virtual sobre la recuperación funcional del miembro superior de pacientes con ictus. Estrategia de búsqueda. Estudios publicados entre 2003-2012, en Medline, PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Library y Tripdatabase. Los términos de búsqueda fueron: eficacia, extremidad superior, ictus, neuroplasticidad, recuperación motora y Rehabilitación. Selección de estudios. Revisiones sistemáticas y ensayos clínicos aleatorizados en fase aguda, subaguda y crónica postictus. Síntesis de resultados. La terapia de restricción del lado sano, los robots, la estimulación eléctrica funcional y terapias con realidad virtual inducen mayor recuperación motora en pacientes subagudos y crónicos con paresia moderada del miembro superior. Conclusiones. Las terapias con orientación funcional a tareas y empleo de nuevas tecnologías facilitan una mayor recuperación funcional del miembro superior. Futuros estudios confirmarán la eficacia de estas terapias (AU)

Objective. This article has aimed to review the efficacy of bilateral upper limb motor training, constraint-induced movement therapy, mirror therapy, functional electrical stimulation, robotic therapy, and virtual reality therapy on upper limb motor function recovery in stroke patients. Search strategy. A review of the studies published between 2003-2012 in Medline, PubMed, PEDro, Cochrane Library databases and Tripdatabase was carried out. MesH key words used were: efficacy, upper limb, stroke, neuroplasticity, motor recovery, and Rehabilitation. Study selection. Study selection included systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials in acute, subacute, and chronic post-stroke patients. Data synthesis. Constraint-induced movement therapy, robotic therapy, exercises coupled to functional electrical stimulation, and virtual reality therapy improve upper limb motor function in subacute and chronic stroke patients with mild upper limb paresis. Conclusions. Therapies based on task-oriented paradigm with application of rehabilitation technology could facilitate upper limb functional recovery. Future studies are required to confirm the efficacy of these emergent therapies (AU)

Eficacia de la detección percutánea de oxígeno como guía terapéutico-quirúrgica en lesionados medulares con úlceras por presión crónicas: estudio preliminar / Eficacy of percutaneous oxygen detection as therapeutic-surgical guide in spinal cord injury patients with chronic pressure ulcers: preliminary report

En el presente estudio clínico realizamos detección transcutánea de oxígeno (TcpO2) en 11 pacientes consecutivos lesionados medulares parapléjicos crónicos (de más de 1 año de evolución) con úlceras por presión (upp) crónicas de grado IV (de más de 6 meses de evolución). En todos analizamos los valores de la TcpO2 tanto en el momento preoperatorio como postoperatorio, llevando a cabo las siguientes comprobaciones. En la posición 1 preoperatorio (P1-pre: a 1 cm del borde de la upp) los valores obtenidos fueron de 27,28±13,83 mm Hg, mientras que en P1 postoperatorio fueron de 34,96±19,06 (p < 0.05). El valor medio del electrodo de referencia (no1) en el momento preoperatorio (51,63±12,53mm Hg) fue estadísticamente significativo (p < 0.05) al compararlo con el valor obtenido con el electrodo no1 (38,60±14,63 mm Hg) en el postoperatorio. El valor medio del electrodo de referencia (no1) en el momento del preoperatorio (50,07±13,54 mm Hg) es estadísticamente significativo (p < 0.05) al compararlo con los valores medios obtenidos de TcpO2 de las posiciones (P1+P2+P3) de los electrodos no2 (29,17±15,03 mm Hg), no3 (34,51±13,15 mm Hg) y no4 (30,37±17,81 mm Hg) analizados en el preoperatorio. Demostramos con estos hallazgos los niveles hipoxémicos a 1 cm del borde de una upp grado IV y su evolución postoperatoria. De esta forma, la técnica de detección transcutánea de oxígeno puede considerarse una guía terapéutica en la detección y en la monitorización del tratamiento de las upp, con la posibilidad de establecer intervenciones terapéuticas para poder mejorar los niveles de oxígeno detectados en las mismas (AU)

In this clinical study the detection of transcutaneous oxygen has been performed (TcpO2) to 11 consecutive patients with spinal cord injury chronic paraplegics (more than 1 year of evolution) with chronic pressure ulcers grade IV (more than 6 months). In all patients were analyzed preoperative and postoperative TcpO2 values, with the following results. In the preoperative position 1 (P1-pre: to 1 cm of the ulcer edge) values obtained are of 27.28 ± 13.83 mm Hg, while in P1 postoperative were 34.96 ± 19.06 (p < 0.05). The average value of the reference electrode (no 1) preoperative (51.63 ± 12.53 mm Hg) is statistically significant (p < 0.05) when compared with the value obtained with the electrode no1 (38.60 ± 14, 63 mmHg) in the postoperative state. The average value of the reference electrode (no 1) preoperative (50.07 ± 13.54 mm Hg) is statistically significant (p < 0.05) when compared with the average values of the positions (P1, P2, P3) obtained of TcPO2 electrode no 2 (29.17 ± 15.03 mm Hg), no 3 (34.51 ± 13.15 mm Hg) and no 4 (30.37 ± 17.81 mm Hg) analyzed preoperatively. With these findings, we demonstrate hypoxemic levels to 1 cm of chronic pressure ulcers edge grade IV and postoperative progress. Thus, the technique of transcutaneous oxygen detection can be considered as a therapeutic guide in the detection and monitoring of pressure ulcers treatment with the possibility of establish therapeutic interventions to improve the oxygen levels detected in them (AU)

Experiencia clínica de la aplicación del sistema de realidad TOyRA en la neuro-rehabilitación de pacientes con lesión medular / Clinical experience regarding the application of the TOyRA virtual reality system in neuro-rehabiliation of patients with spinal cord lesion

Introducción. Recientemente estamos asistiendo a la introducción de dispositivos basados en realidad virtual (RV) como una de las novedades más relevantes en la neuro-rehabilitación. Objetivo. El objetivo es analizar la eficacia de un nuevo sistema de RV denominado TOyRA como herramienta de tratamiento en neuro-rehabilitación para personas con tetraplejia por lesión medular (LM). Materiales y métodos. Se trata de un estudio prospectivo, controlado, en el que se incluyeron 10 pacientes con tetraplejia por LM cervical. El sistema TOyRA consiste en un dispositivo que captura el movimiento basado en sensores inerciales que permite la reproducción de los movimientos del paciente por parte de un avatar en un monitor. La intervención consistió en la aplicación de sesiones de actividades de la vida diaria (AVD) a los 5 pacientes del grupo intervención como complemento a la terapia tradicional frente a un grupo control de otros 5 pacientes en los que solo se realizó terapia convencional. Las variables analizadas fueron cinemáticas y funcionales. Resultados. Se encontraron mejorías en el grupo tratado con TOyRA en el uno de los subtest del Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function (p<0,05). Se sugieren mejorías tanto en los parámetros cinemáticos de flexión de hombro y pronación de antebrazo como en otras escalas funcionales. Conclusiones. El sistema de RV TOyRA se presenta como una herramienta terapéutica que puede ofrecer mejores resultados funcionales que la realización en solitario de los métodos tradicionales en el tratamiento de los déficits motores de los miembros superiores en lesionados medulares (AU)

Introduction. We have recently been witnessing the introduction of devices based on virtual reality (VR) as one of the most important changes in neuro-rehabilitation. Objective. The objective is to analyze the efficacy of a new system called TOyRA virtual reality as a treatment tool in neuro-rehabilitation for people with quadriplegia due to spinal cord injury (SCI). Materials and methods. This is a prospective, controlled study that included 10 patients with SCI induced cervical quadriplegia. The TOyRA system consists of a device capturing motion-based inertial sensors that allows the reproduction of the patient movement by an avatar on a monitor. The intervention consisted of implementing sessions of activities of daily living activities (ADL) to the 5 patients in the intervention group as a complement to traditional therapy versus a control group of 5 other patients in whom only conventional therapy was performed. The analyzed variables were kinematic and functional ones. Results. There were improvements in the TOyRA treated group in one of the subtests of the Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function (P<0.05). Improvements in both the kinematic parameters of shoulder flexion and forearm pronation as in other functional scales were suggested. Conclusions. The TOyRA system is presented as a therapeutic tool that can provide better functional outcomes than when the traditional procedure are performed alone in the treatment of upper limb motor deficits in spinal cord injuries (AU)

A novel FES control paradigm based on muscle synergies for postural rehabilitation therapy with hybrid exoskeletons.

Hybrid exoskeletons combine robotic orthoses and motor neuroprosthetic devices to compensate for motor disabilities and assist rehabilitation. The basic idea is to take benefits from the strength of each technology, primarily the power of robotic actuators and the clinical advantages of using patient's muscles, while compensating for the respective weaknesses: weight and autonomy for the former, fatigue and stability for the latter. While a wide repertory of solutions have been proposed in literature for the control of robotic orthoses and simple motor neuroprosthesis, the same problem on a complex hybrid architecture, involving a wide number of muscles distributed on multiple articulations, still waits for a practical solution. In this article we present a general algorithm for the control of the neuroprosthesis in the execution of functional coordinated movements. The method extracts muscle synergies as a mean to diagnose residual neuromotor capabilities, and adapts the rehabilitation exercise to patient requirements in a dynamic way. Fatigue effects and unexpected perturbations are compensated by monitoring functional state variables estimated from sensors in the robot. The proposed concept is applied to a case-study scenario, in which a postural balance rehabilitation therapy is presented.

Aplicación del análisis tridimensional de la marcha en pacientes con síndrome centromedular / Application of gait 3d analysis in patients with central cord syndrome

Introducción. El síndrome centromedular es el más común de las lesiones medulares incompletas y el 87-97% de estos pacientes consiguen una marcha independiente, pero no se han encontrado estudios publicados sobre el análisis de la marcha. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las características de la marcha de sujetos con síndrome centromedular y comparar los resultados con un grupo control formado por individuos sanos de características antropométricas similares. Métodos. Se analizó a 12 pacientes con síndrome centromedular y a un grupo control formado por 20 sujetos. Los datos cinemáticos se obtuvieron con un sistema de análisis tridimensional del movimiento. El grupo control caminó a velocidad libre y a velocidad similar a la registrada en los pacientes. Las variables espaciotemporales y cinemáticas se compararon entre los dos grupos. Resultados. La abducción de cadera y la flexión de rodilla en el contacto inicial, así como el mínimo de flexión de rodilla durante la fase de apoyo, fueron mayores en el grupo de pacientes (p<0,05). Sin embargo, los rangos de movimiento de la rodilla y el tobillo en el plano sagital fueron mayores en el grupo control (p<0,05). Conclusiones. El patrón de la marcha de los pacientes mostró una disminución del rango de movimiento en el plano sagital de la rodilla y el tobillo y un incremento de la abducción de la cadera para incrementar la base de sustentación. Estos resultados pueden facilitar la planificación objetiva de los tratamientos encargados de mejorar la marcha en estos pacientes(AU)

Background. Central cord syndrome is the most common incomplete spinal cord injury syndrome and 87-97% of these patients achieve independent walking but no gait analysis studies have been reported. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the gait in subjects with central cord syndrome and to compare the results with a healthy anthropomorphically matched control group. Methods. Twelve patients and a control group with twenty subjects were analyzed. Kinematic data were obtained using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The control group walked at a self-selected speed and at a speed similar to the speed previously registered in the patient group. Temporal, spatial variables and kinematic variables were compared between the two groups. Results. Hip abduction and knee flexion at initial contact as well as minimal knee flexion during stance were larger in the patient group (P<.05). However, knee and ankle ranges of motion in the sagittal plane were greater in the control group (P<.05). Conclusions. Knee and ankle range of motion in sagittal plane were reduced and hip abduction was increased to improve stability in patients with central cord syndrome. The results can support objective ways to establish the treatment to recover gait in patients with central cord syndrome(AU)

Effects of whole-body vibration on blood flow and neuromuscular activity in spinal cord injury.

STUDY DESIGN: Crossover trial. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of whole-body vibration (WBV) on muscular activity and blood flow velocity after different vibration treatments in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). SETTING: Research Center on Physical Disability (Spain). METHODS: Eight individuals with SCI received six 3-min WBV treatments depending on a combination of frequency (10, 20 or 30 Hz) and protocol (constant, that is, three consecutive minutes of WBV, or fragmented, that is, three sets of 1 min of WBV with 1 min of rest between the sets). Femoral artery blood flow velocity was registered at minutes 1, 2 and 3 of WBV, and at minutes 1 and 2 after the end of the stimulus. Electromyography activity (EMG) of vastus lateralis (VL) and vastus medialis (VM) was registered at baseline and during WBV. RESULTS: Peak blood velocity (PBV) increased after 1, 2 and 3 min of WBV. The 10 Hz frequency did not alter blood flow, whereas the 20 Hz frequency increased PBV after 2 and 3 min of WBV, and the 30 Hz frequency increased PBV after 1, 2 and 3 min of WBV and during the first minute after the end of the stimulus. No protocol effect was observed for blood parameters. EMG activity of VL and VM increased independently of the applied frequency or protocol. CONCLUSION: WBV is an effective method to increase leg blood flow and to activate muscle mass in SCI patients, and could be considered to be incorporated in their rehabilitation programs.

Determinación del consumo energético de la marcha en personas con alteraciones neurológicas. Revisión de los protocolos empleados / Measurement of energy cost in gait for people with neurological disorders. A review of the protocols used

Objetivo. Actualizar los conocimientos sobre las técnicas de análisis de consumo energético de la marcha en población con patología neurológica. Estrategia de búsqueda. Hasta diciembre de 2009 en las siguientes bases de datos: Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Ovid, la Biblioteca Cochrane y Sport Discus. Selección de artículos. Aquellos artículos en los que se realizaba una determinación del consumo energético de la marcha en pacientes con patología de origen neurológico y, sobre todo, en los que se describía la metodología. Se localizaron un total de 11 artículos, estructurados en 6 de parálisis cerebral, 1 de lesión cerebral traumática, 2 de ictus y 2 de lesión medular. Síntesis de resultados y conclusiones. Existe una gran disparidad en cuanto a protocolos utilizados para evaluar el consumo energético de la marcha de personas con alteraciones neurológicas. Este tipo de análisis ofrece prometedores resultados sobre la situación funcional de un paciente de forma complementaria al análisis biomecánico(AU)

Objective. To update knowledge about energy cost methods in gait for people with neurological disorders. Search strategy. We reviewed the following databases: Medline, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Ovid, the Cochrane Library and Sport Discus up to December 2009. Study selection. Those articles in which energy cost was recorded during gait analysis in people with neurological disorders, especially those related to methodological aspects, were selected. A total of 11 articles were located. Six were related to children with cerebral palsy, 1 to traumatic brain injury, 2 to stroke and 2 to spinal cord injury. Results and conclusions. Much difference exists in regards to the protocols used to evaluate energy cost of gait in persons with neurological disorders. This type of analysis can be a useful tool to study functional performance in patients with neurological disorders complementary to the biomechanical analysis(AU)

Evaluación de la distribución de las presiones de apoyo en la interfaz usuario-cojín para determinar la presión de inflado de los cojines de aire / Evaluation of pressure support in user-cushion interface to determine inflated cushion air

Objetivo: Comprobar si la presión de inflado de los cojines antiescaras de aire en personas con lesión medular es la óptima y determinar su influencia sobre el comportamiento mecánico de los cojines. Material y métodos: Se efectuó el análisis de la distribución de presiones en la interfaz usuario-cojín con una malla de sensores capacitivos en 32 pacientes con lesión medular que disponían de cojines de aire. Se realizó un registro en las condiciones habituales de presión de inflado y otro tras realizar una corrección de ésta una vez identificada la situación óptima de distribución de presiones. Los parámetros analizados fueron los valores de presión máxima, la presión isquiática, la presión media y su desviación estándar y, en cuanto a superficies, la superficie total (Stot), la superficie que soporta una presión mayor de 60mmHg (Stot>60) y su valor porcentual (%Stot>60). Resultados: Los valores de las variables relacionadas con la presión fueron más bajos en los registros efectuados tras la corrección de la presión de inflado y, en las relacionadas con la superficie, la Stot fue más alta en el segundo registro, mientras que tanto Stot>60 y %Stot>60 fueron más bajos. En todos los casos se encontraron diferencias significativas (p<0,05). Conclusión: La diferente presión de inflado de un cojín de aire influye en la distribución de presiones en la interfaz usuario-cojín. La distribución de presiones óptima para un cojín determinado se consigue a un nivel de presión de inflado que ha de ser establecido con unos sistemas de medición objetivos (AU)

Objective: Verify if the inflation pressure of anti-bedsore air cushions in persons with bone marrow injury is optimum and determine its influence on the mechanical behavior of the cushions. Material and methods: The distribution of the user-cushion inferface was analyzed with a capacitive mesh sensor in 32 subjects with bone marrow injury who used air cushions. A recording was made of the usual conditions of inflated pressure and another one after making a correction of it once identified the optimum pressure distribution situation. Parameters analyzed were maximum pressure value (Pmax), ischiatic pressure (IschP), mean pressure (meanP) and standard deviation (SD) and, in regards to surfaces, total surface (totS), surface that supports a pressure of 60 mmHg (totS>60) and percentile value (%totS>60). Results: The values of the variables related with the pressure were lower in the recordings made after correcting for inflated pressure. In those related with surface, the TotS was higher in the second recording while the totS >60 and %totS>60 were lower. There were significant differences in all of the cases (p<0.05). Conclusion: The different inflation pressure of an air cushion influences the pressure distribution of the user-cushion interface. The distribution of the optimum pressures for a certain cushion is achieved at an inflated pressure level that must be established with some objective measurement systems (AU)

Shoulder joint kinetics during wheelchair propulsion on a treadmill at two different speeds in spinal cord injury patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Prospective study using biomechanics patient data. OBJECTIVES: To analyze shoulder joint kinetics while propelling a wheelchair placed on a treadmill and compare shoulder joint net forces and moments when changing the speed of wheelchair propulsion on the treadmill. SETTING: National Hospital for Spinal Cord Injury, Toledo, Spain. METHODS: Sixteen subjects with thoracic spinal cord injury participated. A kinematic analysis system consisting of four camcorders (Kinescan-IBV) and a kinetic device that registered the contact force of the hand on the pushrim (SMART(Wheel)) were used. The wheelchair was propelled at 3 and 4 km h(-1) without any ramp. An inverse dynamic model allowed shoulder joint net forces and moments to be calculated from the contact force of the hand on the pushrim and kinematic data. RESULTS: Increasing propulsion speed increased most of the temporal parameters of propulsion and pushrim kinetics and shoulder joint net forces and moments. Compared with other studies that used an ergometer or dynamometer at the same speed, the magnitude of the shoulder joint net forces and moments elicited by wheelchair propulsion on the treadmill were lower than obtained by wheelchair propulsion on other devices. CONCLUSION: Lower magnitude of shoulder joint forces and moments found on the treadmill may be due to the lower friction compared with the other devices reviewed. Shoulder joint forces and moments depended strongly on the propulsion speed, increasing in magnitude when speed increased from 3 to 4 km h(-1).

CTV to PTV margins for prostate irradiation. Three-dimensional quantitative assessment of interfraction uncertainties using portal imaging and serial CT scans

PURPOSE: To determine the magnitude of setup and organ motion errors from a subset of prostate cancer patients treated with conventional conformal radiotherapy, and to estimate the CTV-PTV margin according to published margin recipes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty prostate cancer patients were treated with external radiotherapy using electronic portal images (EPIs). Weekly treatment EPIs and pelvic CT scans were obtained. These data allowed interfractional analysis of prostate centre of mass motion and setup error. The margins needed to compensate these uncertainties were calculated. RESULTS: Tattoo localisation requires a margin of 9-10.5 mm (LR), 15.2-17.8 mm (anterior-posterior (AP)) and 10.6-12.4 mm (superior-inferior (S-I)). Systematic displacements due to prostatic motion, with standard deviations of 2.4 mm (LR), 4.2 mm (AP) and 3.1 mm (S-I) were found to be larger than setup errors (1.8, 3.0 and 1.7 mm respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Customised PTV margin definition has been possible through in-house measurements of geometrical clinical uncertainties involved in the conventional conformal radiotherapy process. Uncertainty measurements in our department have proved to be larger than those used in common practice. Additional margin reduction procedures are needed in order to accomplish conformal radiotherapy goals (AU)

Comparative biomechanical gait analysis of patients with central cord syndrome walking with one crutch and two crutches.

BACKGROUND: Ambulatory people with central cord syndrome often require assistive devices. The selection of a suitable assistive device should be based on an objective assessment. Our objective in this study was to determine whether there was any difference in using two crutches over one crutch, considering that these patients have bilateral upper-limb involvement. METHODS: Kinematic gait analysis was conducted in 12 patients with central cord syndrome of more than one year of evolution and functional capacity for walking with one crutch or without crutches. Patients were asked to walk with one crutch and with two crutches at a freely chosen walking speed through a 10-m walkway. Three-dimensional kinematic equipment based on active markers was used to analyze temporospatial and articular parameters (maximum, minimum, and range of motion, ROM, throughout the cycle) FINDINGS: During two-crutch versus one-crutch walking, speed was lower (P=0041), stride time and step time were longer (P=0.004 and P=0.005) and there were fewer strides/minute and steps/minute (P=0.005 and P=0.006). The duration of the single support stance was longer during two-crutch walking (P=0.008). With respect to the articular parameters, both ankle ROMs (dorsi-plantar flexion P=0.003 and pronation-supination P=0.004) were greater with one-crutch walking than with two-crutch walking. INTERPRETATION: In patients with central cord syndrome capable of walking with one crutch or without crutches, walking with two crutches decreases speed, increases stride time and step time and improves stability by increasing single support, and diminishes ankle plantar flexion during swing phase.