Article

Robot-assisted therapy (RT) is a current promising
intervention in stroke rehabilitation, but more research is warranted for
examining its efficacy and the dose-benefit relation.
The authors investigated
the effects of higher intensity versus lower intensity RT on movements of forearm
pronation-supination and wrist flexion-extension relative to conventional
rehabilitation (CR) in patients poststroke for a mean of 21 months. METHODS: In
this pilot study, 18 patients with initial mean Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of 37
to 44 for the upper extremity were randomized to higher intensity RT, lower
intensity RT, or CR intervention for 4 weeks. The dose of the higher intensity RT
was twice the number of repetitions in the lower intensity RT. Outcome measures
at pretreatment and posttreatment were administered to patients to evaluate
beneficial and adverse effects of interventions. Primary outcomes were the FMA
and Medical Research Council scale. RESULTS: There were significant differences
in motor function (P = .04) and daily performance (P = .03) among the 3 groups.
The higher intensity RT group showed better improvement in motor function, muscle
strength, performance of daily activities, and bimanual ability than the other 2
groups. The intensive RT intervention did not induce higher levels of an
oxidative DNA biomarker. CONCLUSIONS: Higher intensity of RT that assists forearm
and wrist movements may lead to greater improvement in motor ability and
functional performance in stroke patients. A sample size of only 20 to 25 in each arm of a larger randomized controlled trial is needed to confirm the findings for
similar subjects.

Langue : ANGLAIS