Background: New technologies to improve post-stroke rehabilitation outcomes are of great interest and have a positive impact on functional, motor, and cognitive recovery. Identifying the most effective rehabilitation intervention is a recognized priority for stroke research and provides an opportunity to achieve a more desirable effect. Objective: The objective is to verify the effect of new technologies on motor outcomes of the upper limbs, functional state, and cognitive functions in post-stroke rehabilitation. Methods: Forty two post-stroke patients (8.69 ± 4.27 weeks after stroke onset) were involved in the experimental study during inpatient rehabilitation. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: conventional programs were combined with the Armeo Spring robot-assisted trainer (Armeo group; n = 17) and the Kinect-based system (Kinect group; n = 25). The duration of sessions with the new technological devices was 45 min/day (10 sessions in total). Functional recovery was compared among groups using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and upper limbs’ motor function recovery was compared using the Fugl–Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Hand grip strength (dynamometry), Hand Tapping test (HTT), Box and Block Test (BBT), and kinematic measures (active Range Of Motion (ROM)), while cognitive functions were assessed by the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination), ACE-R (Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-Revised), and HAD (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) scores. Results: Functional independence did not show meaningful differences in scores between technologies (p > 0.05), though abilities of self-care were significantly higher after Kinect-based training (p < 0.05). The upper limbs’ kinematics demonstrated higher functional recovery after robot training: decreased muscle tone, improved shoulder and elbow ROMs, hand dexterity, and grip strength (p < 0.05). Besides, virtual reality games involve more arm rotation and performing wider movements. Both new technologies caused an increase in overall global cognitive changes, but visual constructive abilities (attention, memory, visuospatial abilities, and complex commands) were statistically higher after robotic therapy. Furthermore, decreased anxiety level was observed after virtual reality therapy (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our study displays that even a short-term, two-week training program with new technologies had a positive effect and significantly recovered post-strokes functional level in self-care, upper limb motor ability (dexterity and movements, grip strength, kinematic data), visual constructive abilities (attention, memory, visuospatial abilities, and complex commands) and decreased anxiety level.

Background and objectives: One of the greatest challenges facing the healthcare of the aging population is frailty. There is growing scientific evidence that gait assessment using wearable sensors could be used for prefrailty and frailty screening. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of a wearable sensor-based assessment of gait to discriminate between frailty levels (robust, prefrail, and frail). Materials and methods: 133 participants (≥60 years) were recruited and frailty was assessed using the Fried criteria. Gait was assessed using wireless inertial sensors attached by straps on the thighs, shins, and feet. Between-group differences in frailty were assessed using analysis of variance. Associations between frailty and gait parameters were assessed using multinomial logistic models with frailty as the dependent variable. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) to estimate the predictive validity of each parameter. The cut-off values were calculated based on the Youden index. Results: Frailty was identified in 37 (28%) participants, prefrailty in 66 (50%), and no Fried criteria were found in 30 (23%) participants. Gait speed, stance phase time, swing phase time, stride time, double support time, and cadence were able to discriminate frailty from robust, and prefrail from robust. Stride time (AUC = 0.915), stance phase (AUC = 0.923), and cadence (AUC = 0.930) were the most sensitive parameters to separate frail or prefrail from robust. Other gait parameters, such as double support, had poor sensitivity. We determined the value of stride time (1.19 s), stance phase time (0.68 s), and cadence (101 steps/min) to identify individuals with prefrailty or frailty with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: The results of our study show that gait analysis using wearable sensors could discriminate between frailty levels. We were able to identify several gait indicators apart from gait speed that distinguish frail or prefrail from robust with sufficient sensitivity and specificity. If improved and adapted for everyday use, gait assessment technologies could contribute to frailty screening and monitoring.

The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in muscular activity between the left and right lower legs during gait in healthy children throughout temporal parameters of EMG and symmetry index (SI). A total of 17 healthy children (age: 8.06 ± 1.92 years) participated in this study. Five muscles on both legs were examined via the Vicon 8-camera motion analysis system synchronized with a Trigno EMG Wireless system and a Bertec force plate; onset–offset intervals were analyzed. The highest occurrence frequency of the primary activation modality was found in the stance phase. In the swing phase, onset–offset showed only a few meaningful signs of side asymmetry. The knee flexors demonstrated significant differences between the sides (p < 0.05) in terms of onset–offset intervals: biceps femoris in stance, single support, and pre-swing phases, with SI values = −6.45%, −14.29%, and −17.14%, respectively; semitendinosus in single support phase, with SI = −12.90%; lateral gastrocnemius in swing phase, with SI = −13.33%; and medial gastrocnemius in stance and single support phases, with SI = −13.33% and −23.53%, respectively. The study outcomes supply information about intra-subject variability, which is very important in follow-up examinations and comparison with other target groups of children.

BACKGROUND: Integration of the verticalization robot, Erigo, with functional electric stimulation and passive leg movements in the postacute rehabilitation of neurological patients could reduce the risk of secondary complications and improve functional outcomes (i.e. orthostatic hypotension, postural control and walking ability). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate and quantify changes in the postacute stage, mainly related to heart rate and blood pressure in functional recovery, postural parameters, walking ability and psychoemotional reactions, during training using the verticalization robot Erigo. METHODS: Six patients [three suffering from a stroke (ST) and three with spinal cord injuries (SCI)] participated in 10 sessions of physical therapy with the verticalization robot during primary inpatient rehabilitation. Functional state changes were assessed using clinical tests before and after the treatment, and the loading tolerance during Erigo training was noted. RESULTS: In early rehabilitation, Erigo training was safe and effective at improving orthostatic tolerance, posture and positive emotional reactions in both the ST and SCI patients ( 0.05). In addition, advanced technologies were more effective at boosting the orthostatic tolerance in SCI patients, while they were more effective at increasing the dynamic balance and walking ability in ST patients ( 0.05).

BACKGROUND: Long sitting causes many health problems for people. Healthy sitting monitoring systems, like real-time pressure distribution measuring, is in high demand and many methods of posture recognition were developed. Such systems are usually ex