Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Novel Exoskeleton for an Infant With Arm Movement Impairments.
Iryna Babik, Elena Kokkoni, Andrea B Cunha and 3 others
PMID 27341584WHAT IT FOUND
A single infant with arthrogryposis contacted objects more at hip and chest while wearing a passive arm exoskeleton than without it, and some reaching improved without the device over time.
This cannot prove the device caused the gains.
Key findings
01The infant contacted objects at hip and chest level more while wearing the P-WREX than without it.
02About 6 weeks into intervention, the infant showed independent reaching for the first time, and one-handed contact without the device increased through the end of the study.
03During intervention, structured P-WREX activities occurred 37.3 minutes per day, but parents rated mobility restrictions as extreme and outside-home use difficult.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Only one infant was studied, so this describes one person, not a pattern. The infant received physical therapy and occupational therapy each 1 hour per week throughout the study, so changes cannot be separated from ongoing therapy. The study could not separate the device, the structured intervention, and maturation. The baseline phase was short, and the authors note this may have reduced the ability to detect change. Coders could not be blinded to whether the P-WREX was worn. No standardized cognitive assessment was performed. The device was expensive, bulky, hard to transport, and restricted floor mobility, which limits practical use.
Declared interests
No explicit funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the supplied text. The article is indexed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research funding.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the improved reaching as proof that the exoskeleton alone caused it. The infant also received physical therapy and occupational therapy each 1 hour per week, the device was used with structured activities, and the authors state the effects of the device, intervention, and maturation could not be separated.