A Novel Robotic-Assisted Rehabilitation System for Elbow Fracture: Design and Full-Cycle Rehabilitation Strategy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Postoperative elbow fracture rehabilitation is crucial but limited by manual therapy's subjectivity and existing robots' lack of traction.
• Current robotic systems are often designed for neurological conditions and do not support essential joint traction for fracture recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel robotic system, the ERT-Robot, designed for comprehensive, full-cycle elbow rehabilitation after fractures.
• To integrate both elbow rotation and joint traction functionalities into a single robotic system for enhanced therapeutic capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Development of the ERT-Robot featuring an adaptive rotation mechanism and a soft tissue stretching traction mechanism.
• Implementation of a full-cycle rehabilitation protocol including reciprocating passive training, active range of motion, and muscle strength training.
• Experimental validation with healthy subjects to assess olecranon displacement and compare robot-assisted with manual rehabilitation.

Main Results:

• The ERT-Robot significantly increased horizontal and vertical olecranon displacements compared to natural arm rotation in healthy subjects.
• Robot-assisted rehabilitation demonstrated clinically comparable performance to manual therapy, with minimal displacement variations (1.33% horizontal, 7.78% vertical).
• Experimental results confirmed the system's feasibility and efficiency across three distinct rehabilitation modalities.

Conclusions:

• The novel ERT-Robot system effectively addresses limitations in current elbow fracture rehabilitation by integrating rotation and traction.
• The system offers a feasible and efficient solution for full-cycle postoperative elbow rehabilitation, showing comparable efficacy to manual methods.
• The ERT-Robot holds promise for improving functional recovery and patient outcomes in elbow fracture management.