Robotic Rehabilitation

The main purpose of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation is to diagnose and treat health conditions in the musculoskeletal and nervous systems of individuals. Robotic rehabilitation aims to reduce disorders in the musculoskeletal system and nervous system, prevent complications or improve functions through treatment.

Robotic rehabilitation aims to provide intensive and comprehensive neurorehabilitation for patients undergoing physical therapy. Robotic rehabilitation helps the patient gain the highest possible level of functionality by affecting the reorganization of the nervous system. Robotic rehabilitation uses up-to-date technologies designed to help improve different functions of the body. Current technologies such as body weight support systems, robotic devices and virtual reality allow specified movements or functional tasks to be practiced repeatedly.

Robotic Rehabilitation

Robotic rehabilitation technologies allow patients to regain their movements quickly and accurately. To ensure full recovery, the number of repetitions of the movement, the intensity of the treatment, the task and specific movement training are important. Performing arm and leg movements repetitively with the help of robotic devices enables the brain and spinal cord to learn the movement again and accurately.

During the robotic rehabilitation process , patients are given a treatment program that includes the comprehensive and up-to-date technologies they need. As rehabilitation robots are adjustable and programmable, a treatment appropriate to the patient's physical condition is designed. Robotic devices include orthoses designed for rehabilitation, powered by computer-controlled motors to support joint movements. These orthoses aim to reduce joint resistance and improve joint range of motion. In robotic rehabilitation, visuals of the movements to be applied to the patient are created in a virtual environment. Seeing the patient's body move virtually has a positive effect on the patient's healing process. With the new graphic interfaces offered by current technology, the patient's motivation and participation in the treatment is kept high. Robotic therapy allows the patient to participate physically and cognitively in his/her treatment.

Our Applications Within the Scope of Robotic Rehabilitation

• Robotic walking training: The adult and pediatric robotic exoskeleton and body weight support system, which can be adjusted to suit each patient's body, allow the patient to stand up and provide the most accurate walking training. By increasing the patient's motivation and effort with exciting games, gait training difficulties are shaped according to the patient's abilities when necessary, with precise measurements made with the sensors on the knee and hip orthoses.
• Robotic hand-arm training: Robotic devices that support the patient's arm, reduce its weight, and strengthen the active movement of the arm provide functional movement therapy with frequent repetition. It can fine-tune the intensity of the patient's treatment by receiving continuous feedback with the help of sensors and offers various treatment possibilities combined with virtual reality, depending on the patient's current strength and skills.
• Robotic balance-coordination training: It is a treadmill training that simulates the challenges of daily life through virtual reality and a body weight support system. Visual motivation in the form of games, live feedback obtained by sensors, and music integration significantly increase patients' motivation and physical activity.
• Occupational therapy: It provides comprehensive and holistic treatment to further increase the patient's independence and quality of life in daily living activities (dressing, feeding, brushing teeth, combing hair, opening the door handle, etc.), auxiliary daily living activities (meal preparation, managing household chores, grocery shopping, driving, etc.), and in the areas of work (return to profession after an accident, etc.), education, sleep, play and leisure activities.
• Speech – language and swallowing therapy: It focuses on diagnosis, therapy and education of speech (aphasia), communication and voice (dysarthrophonia), paralysis of facial muscles and swallowing difficulties.
• Gait analysis: With the virtual reality-supported walking platform, gait parameters (step length, width of the support base, step symmetry, etc.) as well as static and dynamic balance are reliably evaluated with in-depth information obtained from spatio-temporal environments, walking images and video recordings.
• Spasticity evaluation and treatment: Since increased muscle tone or reflexes can prevent voluntary muscle activation, it can also hinder intended movements, and therefore objective evaluation is important. With the robotic devices we use for rehabilitation purposes, muscle tone and joint stiffness in the arms and legs of patients are evaluated and treated with numerical data.
• Injections to prevent excessive contraction: It is used to prevent involuntary and uncontrolled contraction of muscles (spasticity) and helps reduce muscle spasms and stiffness. Botulinum toxin injection is performed under ultrasound guidance into the determined muscles in the arm or leg.

Diseases for which Robotic Rehabilitation is Applied

Within the scope of robotic rehabilitation, rehabilitation and treatment of many different neurological and orthopedic diseases are carried out. However, some of the diseases we encounter more frequently and for which we provide services in the field of rehabilitation are as follows:

• Stroke (paralysis)
• Traumatic brain injury
• Paralysis caused by brain tumor
• Spinal cord injury
• Parkinson's disease
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Cerebral palsy
• Gait and balance disorders in geriatric patients
• Nerve Injuries
• After orthopedic surgery operations

Our technologies

Robot Assisted Walking Training

It is physiological walking training for children and adult patients whose legs are severely affected or completely paralyzed. An exoskeleton, which can be adjusted to suit the patient's body, is used with the body weight support system. The intensive and repetitive training program allows the patient to make the best use of his healing potential. The patient's activity is displayed on the computer monitor with the help of sensitive sensors (sensory feedback). The patient, who monitors his muscle activities on the monitor, receives direct visual feedback about the activity.

Arm Robot

It helps restore functions in the arm, forearm and wrist in patients who have had a stroke or whose arm functions have been affected. It is an exoskeleton (wearable exoskeleton) that supports the patient's arm, reducing its weight and magnifying the active movement of the arm in 3-dimensional space. With an adjustable suspension system for the upper extremity, it allows the patient's arm to be relaxed and virtual reality applications possible. Thus, the exercises are experienced in a fun way for the patient. With the arm robot, the patient's existing strength, joint range of motion and coordination functions are activated.

Advanced Walking and Balance Training

It is training given using a treadmill with a body weight support system and audio-visual feedback mechanisms, simulating daily life challenges through virtual reality for gait and balance rehabilitation. It helps neurological and orthopedic patients gain faster mobility with repeated intensive treatment. It is used for the evaluation and treatment of balance, gait and adaptation to gait. Thanks to visual feedback mechanisms such as protrusions on the treadmill surface, it supports the formation of a symmetrical walking pattern.