Is Robot-Assisted Therapy Effective for the Upper Extremity Following a Stroke
Condition: Stroke
MeSH terms: Stroke
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on upper-limb motor function of the
      addition of robotic rehabilitation (RR) and conventional rehabilitation (CR) treatments to
      intensive trunk rehabilitation (ITR).

      A total of 41 subacute stroke patients were randomly allocated to two groups: RR and CR. Both
      groups received the same ITR procedure (6x5x60 weeks/days/minutes). Following ITR, a
      robot-assisted rehabilitation program of 60 minutes, five days a week, for six weeks, was
      applied to the RR group, and an individualized upper extremity rehabilitation program to the
      CR group. Evaluations were made at baseline and after six weeks using the Trunk Impairment
      Scale (TIS), Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Motor Evaluation Scale (FMA-UE), and Wolf Motor
      Function Test (WMFT).
    

Detailed description: 
      Assessments:

      - Demographic Data Form: The researchers created a form to include the information on age,
      gender, stroke onset date, lesion type, affected side, and dominant extremity.

      - Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment: This disease-specific scale was created as an
      objective motor impairment scale to assess recovery in post-stroke hemiplegic patients (18).
      It includes subsections that assess joint movements, coordination, and reflex activities
      related to the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist, and hand. The maximum score that can be
      obtained is 66, with a high score indicating good motor condition. The affected upper
      extremities are assessed with the subject in a seated position.

      - Wolf Motor Function Test: This test was created to evaluate the motor ability of the upper
      extremity (19). The test consists of 17 items, 15 of which are related to the fields of
      functional skill and performance time, and 2 to muscle strength (20). The total score is used
      for the functional ability of the patients. The two items of muscle strength evaluation were
      not used in this study.

      - Trunk Impairment Scale: This scale evaluates static and dynamic sitting balance and trunk
      coordination with seventeen items. The total score ranges from 0 - 23 points, with a higher
      score indicating better performance. The test-retest and inter-rater reliability coefficients
      of the scale have been shown to be 0.85-0.99 (21).
    

Intervention name(s): Robot-Assissted Therapy; Conventional Rehabilitation
Intervention type(s): Device; Procedure
Intervention description(s): Houston Bionics ExoRehab X brand/model device was used for improving the upper extremity in subacute stroke.; It is an upper extremity rehabilitation program prepared in line with individual needs.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: A Randomized Controlled (One group received Robotic Rehabilitation, other group received conventional rehabilitation)
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Robotic Rehabilitation; Conventional Rehabilitation; Intensıve Trunk Rehabilitation; Motor Function