Efficacy of robotic rehabilitation of ankle impairments in children with cerebral palsy

Abstract

The current study introduces a novel rehabilitation robot for treatment of impaired ankle in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The treatment consisted of passive stretching under intelligent control and active movement training with motivating game-playing using the portable robot. After 18 sessions of training (3 sessions/week for 6 weeks), we found significant improvement in 12 children with CP in terms of improved passive and active ranges of motion, selective motor control and mobility functions. The positive outcomes of this study along with the improvements in motor control and functional activities suggest that robotic rehabilitation provides a useful and convenient option of treatment in clinic or patient home for more accessible and frequent rehabilitation.