System to assist physical therapy of cervical dystonia and improve treatment adherence

Physical therapy for cervical dystonia (CD) is an example of a musculoskeletal rehabilitation process that can be enhanced using technology. Since CD is a life-lasting disorder and its treatment requires an intense rehabilitation program, providing possibilities to engage in physical therapy at home will increase the availability of the treatment. In addition, monitoring the process and giving feedback to the therapist on the correct execution of the exercises can improve recovery, given the number of sessions performed at home.

Within this project, a robotic serious-gaming platform that guides home-based physiotherapy will be developed and evaluated. This platform will allow patients with cervical dystonia to train in the home environment. Access to a robotics lab with an electrical workshop will be provided by DTPA. Recruitment of participants to evaluate the platform will be done at the department of Neurology of the university medical center Groningen (UMCG). The project will answer the following research question: Can patient-tailored feedback in connection with serious gaming enhance adherence to home-based cervical dystonia therapy?