Improving the joint mobility of acute rotator cuff injury by portable rehabilitation device

The incidence of shoulder pain in the general population is around 11.2 cases per 1,000 patients per year. It is considered to be the most prevalent soft tissue pathology, with an estimated incidence of rotator cuff injuries of 3.7 per 100,000 per year. The deterioration of the components of the rotator cuff is one of the most frequent causes of musculoskeletal pain and disability in the world. The conditions of the rotator cuff increase with the age and overuse of the joint, therefore, elderly patients are more affected. This paper presents the development of one soft and portable rehabilitation prototype robot that aims to be evaluated with patients in near future as a suitable device for rehabilitating acute rotator cuff injuries through clinical examinations. The portable robot presented was design from biomechanical analysis and ranges of kinematics and joint dynamics; aspects that determined important requirements for obtaining greater functionality of the prototype´s portability and with the identification of pre-set tasks that executes two types of specific movements: flexion / extension and external / internal rotation by means of a soft rehabilitation and portable robot device.