Robots for the rehabilitation of upper limb motor function after stroke

Objective To observe the effect of robot-assisted upper limb training on the recovery of upper limb motor function after stroke. Methods One hundred patients within one month of suffering a stroke were randomly divided into a control group (50 cases) and a therapy group (50 cases). Both groups were given conventional drug therapy and rehabilitation training, while the therapy group also received robot-assisted training once a day, 5 days per week for 12 weeks. The Fugl-Meyer assessment for the upper extremities (FMA-UE), the modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and the modified Barthel index (MBI) were used to evaluate the subjects before the experiment and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment. Results During the treatment, the average FMA-UE scores and the average MBI of both groups increased gradually. The treatment group's averages were significantly better than those of the control group at each time point, except that there was no significant difference in elbow and wrist MAS scores. Conclusion Upper limb robots can be used with acute stroke patients in a clinical setting, and they may be beneficial for improving upper limb function and ability in the activities of daily living. Key words: Stroke; Upper extremities; Rehabilitation; Robots