Robotic-assisted rehabilitation of proximal humerus fractures in virtual environments: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVE

With the growing incidence of upper arm fractures among older people, innovative treatment strategies will be needed in geriatric rehabilitation. A pilot study was designed to test the feasibility of robotic-assisted rehabilitation after proximal humeral fractures.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Within a sample of 8 older patients (79.5 ± 6.12 years), functional ability, quality and range of movement, self-rated impairment, quality of life, and user satisfaction were measured in an observational pre-/postdesign. During rehabilitation robotic-assisted training was applied.

RESULTS

Training motivation and acceptance were high in this sample, showing improvements in functional ability (p = 0.03), quality of movement (p = 0.02), range of motion, self-evaluation (p = 0.01), and quality of life.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study highlights the possible implementation of robotic-assisted rehabilitation after proximal humeral fractures in geriatric rehabilitation. The measurement and training protocol was suitable to document progress in rehabilitation.