Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Jun 19:11:104.
doi: 10.1186/1743-0003-11-104.

Effects of upper limb robot-assisted therapy on motor recovery in subacute stroke patients

Patrizio Sale  1 , Marco Franceschini, Stefano Mazzoleni, Enzo Palma, Maurizio Agosti, Federico Posteraro
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of upper limb robot-assisted therapy on motor recovery in subacute stroke patients

Patrizio Sale et al. J Neuroeng Rehabil. .

Abstract

Background and purpose: There is little evidence available on the use of robot-assisted therapy in subacute stroke patients. A randomized controlled trial was carried out to evaluate the short-time efficacy of intensive robot-assisted therapy compared to usual physical therapy performed in the early phase after stroke onset.

Methods: Fifty-three subacute stroke patients at their first-ever stroke were enrolled 30 ± 7 days after the acute event and randomized into two groups, both exposed to standard therapy. Additional 30 sessions of robot-assisted therapy were provided to the Experimental Group. Additional 30 sessions of usual therapy were provided to the Control Group.The following impairment evaluations were performed at the beginning (T0), after 15 sessions (T1), and at the end of the treatment (T2): Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale (FM), Modified Ashworth Scale-Shoulder (MAS-S), Modified Ashworth Scale-Elbow (MAS-E), Total Passive Range of Motion-Shoulder/Elbow (pROM), and Motricity Index (MI).

Results: Evidence of significant improvements in MAS-S (p = 0.004), MAS-E (p = 0.018) and pROM (p < 0.0001) was found in the Experimental Group. Significant improvement was demonstrated in both Experimental and Control Group in FM (EG: p < 0.0001, CG: p < 0.0001) and MI (EG: p < 0.0001, CG: p < 0.0001), with an higher improvement in the Experimental Group.

Conclusions: Robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation treatment can contribute to increasing motor recovery in subacute stroke patients. Focusing on the early phase of stroke recovery has a high potential impact in clinical practice.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental setup.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clock-like rehabilitation scenario.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Study CONSORT flow diagram (Abbreviation: EG, Experimental Group, CG, Control Group).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sarti C, Rastenyte D, Cepaitis Z, Tuomilehto J. International trends in mortality from stroke, 1968 to 1994. Stroke. 2000;31(7):1588–1601. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.31.7.1588. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Langhorne P, Bernhardt J, Kwakkel G. Stroke rehabilitation. Lancet. 2011;377(9778):1693–1702. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60325-5. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mayo NE, Wood-Dauphinee S, Ahmed S, Gordon C, Higgins J, McEwen S, Salbach N. Disablement following stroke. Disabil Rehabil. 1999;21(5–6):258–268. - PubMed
    1. Nichols-Larsen DS, Clark PC, Zeringue A, Greenspan A, Blanton S. Factors influencing stroke survivors’ quality of life during subacute recovery. Stroke. 2005;36:1480–1484. doi: 10.1161/01.STR.0000170706.13595.4f. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Franceschini M, Ceravolo MG, Agosti M, Cavallini P, Bonassi S, Dall’Armi V, Massucci M, Schifini F, Sale P. Clinical relevance of action observation in upper-limb stroke rehabilitation: a possible role in recovery of functional dexterity. A randomized clinical trial Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2012;26(5):456–462. doi: 10.1177/1545968311427406. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types