The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the efficacy of a rehabilitation protocol with augmented biofeedback (both audio and visual, AVBF) in subjects with spinal cord injuries (SCI) for improving trunk postural control. Ten subjects with SCI (lesion level range C6-T6) were evaluated and trained at the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute. Patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group (TG, 6 patients) and to a control group (CG, 4 patients). For 15 days, the TG patients followed an experimental training with AVBF for 20 minutes daily, in addition to a conventional therapy, whereas CG patients had only conventional therapy for 120 minutes daily. An AVBF system, previously developed by Chiari, was used to provide subjects with two different designs of either AVBF of the acceleration sensed using a twodimensional accelerometer, while patients were seated comfortably in their wheelchair. Both AVBF were generated in real-time based on this signal. The AVBF induced a significant reduction (from the first session of AVBF use, p=0.004 to the last day of program, p=0.02) in the antero-posterior trunk sway amplitude, with respect to trials without AVBF, in the TG. In addition, trunk sway amplitude in the TG was reduced with respect to CG starting from the first session of AVBF (p=0.007) to the last day of therapy (p=0.009). The presented results, whereas preliminary, showed the efficacy of the AVBF in comparison with conventional therapy in increasing self-control to continuously adjust trunk movements in order to re-establish a correct voluntary trunk seated posture.
Augmented biofeedback rehabilitation in trunk control in spinal cord injury
MANCINI, MARTINA;MENARINI, MAURO;CHIARI, LORENZO
2009
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and the efficacy of a rehabilitation protocol with augmented biofeedback (both audio and visual, AVBF) in subjects with spinal cord injuries (SCI) for improving trunk postural control. Ten subjects with SCI (lesion level range C6-T6) were evaluated and trained at the Montecatone Rehabilitation Institute. Patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group (TG, 6 patients) and to a control group (CG, 4 patients). For 15 days, the TG patients followed an experimental training with AVBF for 20 minutes daily, in addition to a conventional therapy, whereas CG patients had only conventional therapy for 120 minutes daily. An AVBF system, previously developed by Chiari, was used to provide subjects with two different designs of either AVBF of the acceleration sensed using a twodimensional accelerometer, while patients were seated comfortably in their wheelchair. Both AVBF were generated in real-time based on this signal. The AVBF induced a significant reduction (from the first session of AVBF use, p=0.004 to the last day of program, p=0.02) in the antero-posterior trunk sway amplitude, with respect to trials without AVBF, in the TG. In addition, trunk sway amplitude in the TG was reduced with respect to CG starting from the first session of AVBF (p=0.007) to the last day of therapy (p=0.009). The presented results, whereas preliminary, showed the efficacy of the AVBF in comparison with conventional therapy in increasing self-control to continuously adjust trunk movements in order to re-establish a correct voluntary trunk seated posture.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
