Robot-assisted Hand Rehabilitation for Patients With Stroke

In the researchers' words

Robotic therapy can deliver larger amounts of upper extremity movement practice for stroke rehabilitation. Although the treatment effects were supported in studies, there are still limitations in clinical intervention. The study will use the robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a Gloreha device. Thirty patients with moderate motor deficits were recruited and randomized into 2 treatment groups, AB or BA (A = 12 times of robot-assisted hand rehabilitation, B = 12 times of standard therapy) for 12 weeks of treatment (Sixty minutes a time, twice a week), 1 month of break between conditions for washout period. The performance was assessed by a blinded assessor for five times (pre-test1, post-test 1, pre-test2, post-test 2, follow up at three month). The outcome measures Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Limb section(FMA-UE),Box and block test(BBT), Maximal voluntary contraction(MVC) of extensor digitorum communis(EDC), Abductor pollicis brevis(APB), Flexor digitorum(FD), Dynanometer, Semmes-Weinstein hand monofilament (SWM), Revision of the Nottingham Sensory Assessment (EmNSA), Modified Barthel Index. Collected data will be analyzed with ANOVA test by SPSS version 20.0, and alpha level was set at 0.05. The hypothesis are robot-assisted hand rehabilitation with a Gloreha device has positive effects on sensory, motor, hand function, and ADL ability among patients with stroke.