Effects of Haptic Feedback Interventions in Post-Stroke Gait and Balance Disorders: A Systematic Review and
Maria Gomez-Risquet1,2, Rocío Cáceres-Matos1,3,4, Eleonora Magni1,3,5
1Facultad de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Podología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41009 Sevilla, Spain.
Journal of Personalized Medicine
|September 28, 2024
Summary
Haptic feedback shows potential for stroke recovery, but current evidence is insufficient to confirm its effectiveness in improving gait and balance. More rigorous research is needed to establish its benefits.
Area of Science:
- Neurorehabilitation
- Biomedical Engineering
- Physical Therapy
Background:
- Haptic feedback provides sensory information (tactile/kinesthetic) during activities.
- Post-stroke hemiparesis commonly causes gait and balance impairments.
- Haptic feedback is explored as a rehabilitative approach for stroke survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effects of haptic feedback on gait and balance disorders after stroke.
- To assess both immediate and post-intervention effects of haptic feedback.
- To synthesize current evidence on haptic feedback efficacy in stroke rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Medline/PubMed databases.
- Quality assessment using the Checklist for Measuring quality, PEDro scale, and Cochrane collaboration tool.
- Qualitative analysis of 13 articles and meta-analysis of 4 studies.
Main Results:
- Current evidence does not definitively establish the effectiveness of haptic feedback for stroke-related gait and balance deficits.
- Limited studies provided data for meta-analysis, indicating a need for more research.
- No conclusive findings were reached regarding the therapeutic benefits.
Conclusions:
- Further research with larger sample sizes and robust methodologies is required.
- The effectiveness of haptic feedback mechanisms needs to be determined through more extensive studies.
- Longer intervention durations and pre-post designs are recommended for future gait training research.
