Interactive wearable systems for upper body rehabilitation: a systematic review.
Qi Wang, Panos Markopoulos, Bin Yu and 2 others
PMID 28284228WHAT IT FOUND
Most included wearable upper-body rehab systems track motion and give visual feedback, but only three had clinical trials.
Do not assume they improve movement or function; evidence is still mainly technical and usability.
Key findings
01The review included 45 papers on interactive wearable systems that provide feedback for upper-body rehabilitation.
02Accelerometers or inertial measurement units were used in 38 of the 45 papers, and visual feedback was the most common feedback type, used in 40 systems.
03Only three systems were evaluated in clinical trials, including one randomized clinical trial with 12 chronic stroke survivors over 2 weeks.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review included only English papers from January 2010 to April 2016, so it may miss relevant work in other languages or earlier periods. Robotic systems, exoskeletons, prosthetics, coaching systems, activity recognition systems and reviews were excluded, so the map is not complete for all upper-body rehabilitation technology. Most included studies tested small samples, often healthy people, and many reported only sensor accuracy or usability rather than patient outcomes. The review focuses on system features and validation stage, not on whether patients improved, so it cannot tell which system works best for a given patient.
Declared interests
The supplied text names the Chinese Scholarship Council as funder and does not report competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that wearable upper-body systems improve rehabilitation outcomes. Most included studies tested sensors or usability, and only three were clinical trials, so the clinical effect of these systems is not established.