Effects of hand robot-assisted training on hemiplegic stroke patients' recovery of upper-limb function : A randomized and controlled trial / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the effect of intensive upper limb therapy assisted by a hand robot on motor function after stroke and performance in the activities of daily living.Methods Thirty-two hemiplegic stroke survivors were randomly divided into a conventional rehabilitation group (group A,n =10),a robot-assisted therapy group (group B,n=10),and a robot-assisted intensive therapy group (group C,n=12).The three groups all received routine drug therapy and daily 40 min sessions of conventional rehabilitation training 5 days a week for 4 weeks.Those in groups B and C were additionally provided with 20 min of robot-assisted therapy or 40 min of more intensive robot-assisted intensive therapy respectively.Before and after the intervention,the 3 groups were assessed using the Fugl-Meyer assessment for the upper extremities (FMA-UE),the action research arm test (ARAT) and the modified Barthel Index (MBI).Results No significant differences were observed among the 3 groups in any of the measurements before the treatment.In each group the average FMA-UE,MBI and ARAT scores had increased significantly after four weeks of treatment.The improvements in the average FMA-UE and ARAT scores were more significant in group B than in group A,while the FMA,MBI and ARAT scores suggested a significantly greater improvement in group C than in group B.Conclusion Robot assistance can help to improve upper extremity motor function after a stroke.It also has an obvious effect on improving performance in the activities of daily living.