Upper limb rehabilitation of stroke participants using electrical stimulation: Changes in tracking and EMG timing

A summary is presented of the tracking and surface electromyographic (EMG) results obtained using a robotic workstation that was designed and built for use by stroke participants in order to improve voluntary control of their impaired arm. The intervention consisted of eighteen sessions in which five chronic stroke participants performed a range of tracking tasks using their remaining voluntary effort, with the addition of responsive electrical stimulation (ES) applied to their triceps muscles. Unassisted error tracking was measured during each intervention session. EMG, which may be related to impaired performance and function, was recorded in separate sessions before and after the intervention, in order to investigate changes in muscle activation patterns resulting from treatment. In these sessions, participants tracked similar trajectories without ES, and their muscle activity has been compared against that of eight neurologically intact subjects. Results are presented which describe changes in tracking ability and EMG, and their inter-relationship.