WRIST REHABILITATION WITH MANIPULATOR TO PERFORM PASSIVE AND ACTIVE EXERCISES

The paper characterizes basic dysfunctions and diseases of a human wrist as well as describes the mechanics and pathomorphology of the human hand. The radial-carpal joint was analyzed in terms of his ranges of motion. The results of the analysis, i.e. the number of degrees of freedom for a free hand, are included. The concept of manipulator construction for optimal rehabilitation of the wrist was developed. Expected effects of the exercises, which can be implemented on the designed manipulator, were also described. A comparative analysis of other appliances supporting the rehabilitation of the human upper limb were presented. The main purpose of the designed manipulator was to gain full control of implementation of exercises performed by the patient and to archive and precisely track the progress in the rehabilitation. An important feature of the designed manipulator is its versatility enabling its use for: exercises of both hands (left and right) with the repetitive movements, choose of exercises (active and passive movements), choose of the degree of disability of the patient