A rehabilitation tool for functional balance using altered gravity and virtual reality

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Effective rehabilitation for gait and balance disorders is crucial for patients with spinal cord injury, neurological diseases, and hip fractures.
• Partial body weight support (BWS) treadmill training improves walking but can hinder natural postural adjustments due to harness support.
• A new device has been developed to enable natural associated postural adjustments (APAs) during BWS training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel device enhancing BWS training by allowing natural mediolateral APAs.
• To conduct a proof-of-concept study on the efficacy of this training method.

Main Methods:

• A tilted environment with a modified bed allowed subjects in a supine position to experience a 90-degree tilt, simulating an upright posture.
• A backpack frame with air-bearing movement and a pneumatic cylinder provided adjustable loading, emulating various G-like loads.
• Subjects received visual input via 3-D automultiscopic displays, creating a virtual environment. Two groups underwent four weeks of either strength training alone or combined strength and balance training.

Main Results:

• Isokinetic strength in upright squat extension improved similarly across both groups.
• Statistically significant improvements in upright balance measures were observed exclusively in the group that included balance training in the tilted environment.
• Postural analysis revealed reduced reliance on visual cues and increased use of somatosensory cues post-training.

Conclusions:

• Balance-specific training in a supine position within a perceived upright environment can enhance upright balance function.
• This approach holds promise for improving rehabilitation outcomes in patients with balance impairments.
• Future research will focus on implementing this training concept in clinical patient populations.