The Effects Of Upper Extremity Robotic Rehabilitation On Upper Extremity Functions And Gait Parameters

Cerebral Palsy is defined as the cause of movement and posture disorders and activity limitation that develops in the fetal or infant brain that has not yet completed its development. When the literature is examined, although upper extremity and lower extremity involvements are common in individuals with hemiparetic CP, treatment programs are mostly aimed at the lower extremities. However, studies report that the upper extremity is more severely affected than the lower extremities in individuals with hemiparetic CP and that upper extremity functions have an effect on walking. Although different treatment methods have positive effects, their superiority over each other cannot be clearly reported. In this case, new intervention strategies based on sound methodological and scientific foundations are needed. At this point, virtual reality applications and robotic rehabilitation programs have started to play an important role in CP rehabilitation along with current developments in technology-assisted rehabilitation. Robotic devices provide visual, auditory and sensory inputs, making the process fun, while making the individual active in the treatment. It also enables the child to achieve goal-directed movements in children with motor disabilities. Various gait problems are seen in individuals with CP. Therefore, although lower extremity movements during walking have been well analyzed in the literature, upper extremity functions and especially arm movements during walking have received less attention. Although human gait is perceived as a situation that concerns only the lower extremities, it actually includes the coordinated movements of all four extremities. Individuals with hemiplegic CP usually have a markedly deviated arm position and reduced arm movement. This situation also affects the gait and balance of individuals with hemiparetic CP. Individuals change their upper extremity kinematics while increasing their walking speed to optimize gait and increase balance. In the light of this information, practices aimed at improving upper extremity movement and function should be included in the rehabilitation program of patients with hemiparetic CP, considering a holistic approach. Considering all these, we thought that if we increase the functions of the upper extremities, we can improve walking, and we planned this study.