DYNAMIC SPLINTS, FUNCTIONALLY-CUSTOMIZED WITH NITINOL, CAN REDUCE JOINT RIGIDITY IN PEDIATRIC SUBJECTS WITH SPASTICITY

摘要

The present work shows that NiTi-based pseudoelastic alloys can be used to implement a different approach to the orthotic treatment in the rehabilitation of spastic syndromes. In particular, control of contracture evolution and significant improvement in joint stiffness are obtained by preserving limb mobility and enabling muscular stretch through the application of a mild therapeutic force. The presented compliant devices were shown to safeguard patients' comfort and were always very well tolerated. In the future, an increased number of subjects will be enrolled to confirm the obtained results, to understand better the underlying mechanisms of pseudoelastic treatments and to obtain longer follow-up observations.