Article

Upper-limb paresis is a major source of disability in stroke
survivors, and robotic device-aided exercise therapy is a promising approach to
enhance motor abilities.
Few robotic devices have been available to provide
therapy to the fingers and hand. This study was designed to test a new robotic
device for hand rehabilitation in stroke survivors. This is an
open-label pilot study of 12 individuals with chronic moderate hemiparesis after
stroke. Participants underwent a 6-wk training program using a hand robotic
device. Participants received a total of 18 hrs of robotic therapy. RESULTS::
Improvements were found in multiple measures of motor performance, including the
Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer test, the Motor Activity Log, the Manual Ability
Measure-36, and the Jebsen Hand Function Test. All subjects tolerated the
treatment well and no complications were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Robotic therapy
for hand paresis after stroke is safe and feasible, and further studies of efficacy are justified by these preliminary results.

Langue : ANGLAIS