Randomized Trial of a Robotic Assistive Device for the Upper Extremity During Early Inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation

Background. A recent Cochrane Review showed that early robotic training of the upper limb in stroke survivors can be more effective than other interventions when improving activities of daily living involving the arm function is the aim of therapy. Objective. We tested for efficacy of the study a protocol which involved the use of the NeReBot therapy in partial substitution of standard upper limb rehabilitation in post–acute stroke patients. Methods. In this dose-matched, randomized controlled clinical trial, 34 hemiparetic participants with movement against gravity in shoulder, elbow, and wrist muscle groups were enrolled within 15 days of the onset of stroke. All participants received a total daily rehabilitation treatment for 120 minutes, 5 days per week for 5 weeks. The control group received standard therapy for the upper limb. The experimental group received standard therapy (65% of exercise time) associated with robotic training (35% of exercise time). Muscle tone (Modified Ashworth Scale), strengt...