Design and implementation of a home stroke telerehabilitation system

Abstract

Motor retraining following stroke can occur through intensive, repetitive motion tasks that require concentration to promote new connections in the brain. Conducting intensive, repetitive therapy in the clinic is time consuming for both patient and therapist. A home-based, clinician-directed tracking training system for rehabilitation is presented. Two biofeedback motion training systems have been developed, one for hand and wrist motor relearning and the other for the ankle. The systems include a potentiometer joint sensor, a smart box interface and a laptop host computer. An internet connection allowed for periodic video teleconferencing between patient and therapist. The hand/wrist system was evaluated in a pilot project with 24 subjects. The results demonstrated technical feasibility for the technology. The ankle system is currently undergoing evaluation.