BACKGROUND: Recently studies showed that robot-assisted therapy can improve recovery of upper-limb in subacute and chronic stroke patients, but the studies on robot-assisted therapy in acute stroke patients are few.
OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of robot-assisted therapy on upper-limb in acute stroke patients.
METHODS: A total of 30 acute stroke patients were divided into two groups according to the wish. The patients in conventional therapy group received a conventional rehabilitative program including usual facilitation techniques, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, acupuncture therapy and so on. The patients in robot-assisted therapy group received robot-assisted therapy on the basis of conventional rehabilitative program. This kind of robot consists of adaptive upper-limb weight support, intelligence feedback and three-dimension training systems. A single or multiple joint training can be carried out in the virtual reality environment.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After treatment Fugl-Meyer Score of the upper extremity assessment (FMA) and the functional independence measure (FIM) were better than the scores before treatment both in the two groups significantly. At 3 weeks after treatment, there was no statistical difference in the FMA Scores in the two groups (P=0.075), but at 3 months the patients in robot-assisted therapy group gained better scores than conventional therapy group significantly (P < 0.01). The differences were not significant in the FIM Scores between the two groups both at 3 weeks or 3 months after treatment (P > 0.05). The changes of scores both on FMA and FIM compared with before treatment in robot-assisted therapy group were better than conventional therapy group statistically (P < 0.05). It could be concluded that robot-assisted therapy gained better motor function of upper limb in acute stroke patients on the basis of conventional therapy. Robot-assisted therapy also could change much more motor function and activities of daily living.

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