Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Behavior

A Structured Rehabilitation Protocol for Improved Multifunctional Prosthetic Control: A Case Study

Aidan Dominic Roche^1,2, Ivan Vujaklija^3,4, Sebastian Amsüss^3,4, Agnes Sturma^1,5, Peter Göbel⁶, Dario Farina^3,4, Oskar C. Aszmann^1,2

¹Christian Doppler Laboratory for Restoration of Extremity Function, ²Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, ³Department of Neurorehabilitation Engineering, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Göttingen, ⁴University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University, ⁵University of Applied Sciences FH Campus Wien, ⁶Research & Development, Otto Bock Healthcare Products GmbH

As prosthetic development moves towards the goal of natural control, harnessing amputees’ inherent ability to learn new motor skills may enable proficiency. This manuscript describes a structured rehabilitation protocol, which includes imitation, repetition, and reinforcement learning strategies, for improved multifunctional prosthetic control.

Medicine

Structured Motor Rehabilitation After Selective Nerve Transfers

Agnes Sturma^1,2,3, Laura A. Hruby^1,4, Dario Farina², Oskar C. Aszmann^1,5

¹Clinical Laboratory for Bionic Extremity Reconstruction, Medical University of Vienna, ²Bioengineering Department, Imperial College London, ³Master's Degree Program Health Assisting Engineering, University of Applied Sciences FH Campus Wien, ⁴Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, ⁵Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Medical University of Vienna

Here, we present a protocol for the motor rehabilitation of patients with severe nerve injuries and selective nerve transfer surgery. It aims at restoring the motor function proposing several stages in patient education, early-stage therapy after surgery and interventions for rehabilitation after successful re-innervation of the nerve’s target.

JoVE Core

Therapy Interventions for Upper Limb Amputees Undergoing Selective Nerve Transfers

Agnes Sturma^1,2, Laura A. Hruby^1,3, Anna Boesendorfer¹, Clemens Gstoettner¹, Dario Farina², Oskar C. Aszmann^1,4

¹Clinical Laboratory for Bionic Extremity Reconstruction, Medical University of Vienna, ²Bioengineering Department, Imperial College London, ³Department of Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, ⁴Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical University of Vienna

This work presents a protocol to enhance prosthetic function after selective nerve transfer surgery. Rehabilitation interventions include patient information and selection, support of wound healing, cortical re-activation of sensory-motor areas of the upper limb, training of selective muscle activation, prosthetic handling in daily life, and regular follow-up assessments.