Physical Therapy Essay

995 Words4 Pages

Recent technological advances in the field of Physical Therapy have proven to be therapeutic for many diseases and infirmities. Of these progressions, rehabilitation robots are particularly useful as they are leading to improvements in patient care by ameliorating post-stroke impairment detection and enhancing therapy therefore, making faster recovery a possibility. Robotics in rehab include mobility, manipulation, evaluation and therapeutic aids all of which lead to greater active participation with progression along with the enhanced physical and mental well-being of patients (Black, 4). Robotics may be used for various healthcare purposes such as for paralysis as Newland states in her article ‘Robots for Paralysis’ and for upper-limb stroke …show more content…

The results seen in such patients suggest that robotics have an effect on the cardiovascular health of individuals and that they may even be able to improve neurological disorders as paralysis leads to adverse effects on the neurology of individuals. Newland’s approach in her article is based more so on the cure or improvement of patients who are already incapable of motion or have limited ability to move on their own. Blank’s piece of writing, on the other hand, focuses specifically on the rehabilitation of stroke patients who have greater capabilities and control over their bodies and their energy can be channeled towards occupying them with the therapy they are undergoing in order for best results to be produced. The use of robotics is pretty similar in both situations, but the aim is geared slightly towards different directions. The study described in chapter five of Lau Bee Theng’s book, ‘Assistive Technologies for Physical and Cognitive Disabilities’, summarizes the impacts of robotics assisting children with …show more content…

Palsbo’s perspective on robotics is quite similar to Theng’s in her article on the effects of assistive-robotics on children with deficits except for the specificity of her article as it focuses on one particular deficit. An estimated five to twenty percent of cases of dysgraphia are present in children and this impairment hinders their learning abilities in many fields of life which is what Palsbo aims at starting to put an end to (Palsbo, par. 5). A research study that Palsbo was a part of was summarized in her piece of writing and the study concluded that robot-assistance not only improved the handwriting of children with writing disorders but, it also improved the efficiency and speed of writing.
“Functional improvements in glyph formation and speed can be obtained in 10 hr of individualized instruction and robot-assisted guidance for many children with ADD, ADHD, ASD, or intellectual disabilities in the lowest 25th percentile of handwriting proficiency (Palsbo,2).”
Therefore, assistive-robotics for repetitive motion training works wonders for children with writing