Effects of Upper Limb Robot-assisted Therapy on Motor Function and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Convalescent Stroke / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effects of upper limb robot-assisted therapy on motor function and activities of daily living in con-valescent stroke patients. Methods From June to September, 2016, 12 chronic stroke patients at their first-ever stroke were enrolled and ran-domized into experimental group (n=6) and control group (n=6). Both groups received routine rehabilitation. Additional robot-assisted thera-py was provided to the experimental group, and additional repetitive movement training was provided to the control group, 20 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks. Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremities (FMA-UE), modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Func-tional Independent Measure (FIM) were used to assess the motor function of the upper limbs and hands, the muscular tension of shoulder and elbow, and activities of daily living (ADL) before and after treatment. Results After treatment, the scores of FMA-UE and FIM were bet-ter in both groups (Z>2.032, P0.05), however, the scores were a little bit higher in the experimental group than in the control group. After treatment, for the experimental group, the MAS scores of shoulder abduction/adduction and elbow flexion/extension improved (Z>2.121, P2.000, P0.05). There was no significant difference in the MAS scores of shoulder abduction/adduction and elbow flexion/extension between two group (Z0.05). The moving trail recorded by the computer, gradually became a regular pattern from the mass, saying the motor control ability became better. Conclusion Upper limb robot-assisted therapy can promote the recovery of the motor function of upper limbs and ADL in convalescent stroke patient, similar to the repetitive movement training.