Stroke is a medical situation where the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, causing brain cells to lose their functions and is a leading cause of adult disability. There are 26 new stroke cases everyday (Singhealth.com.sg, 2018). One of the disability is that of spasticity due to high muscle tone post stroke. This project aims to create a device that will help patients to regain their hand function through rehabilitation. The specific hand poses that our device aims to enable are: reposition, pinch, point and cylinder. For patients suffering from spastic paralysis, it can be hard for them to put on many currently available assistive devices as their fists tend to be clenched, making it hard to put on glove-like devices.
Figure 1: Spastic upper limb
Source: Leclercq C. (2015) Neurological Contractures: The Spastic Upper Limb. In: Trail I., Fleming A. (eds) Disorders of the Hand. Springer, London
Hence, our project also aims to tackle this problem and increase the usability of current assistive devices for patients suffering from spasticity after stroke. We hope that with the help of this device, patients who suffer from reduced hand motor function will be able to carry out activities of daily living more easily.
References
[1] Singhealth.com.sg. (2018). Stroke. [online] Available at: https://www.singhealth.com.sg/patient-care/patient-education/stroke [Accessed 26 Jul. 2019].