Hiroyuki Miyasaka, OTR, PhD, Yutaka Tomita, PhD, Abbas Orand, PhD,
Genichi Tanino, RPT, MHSc, Kotaro Takeda, PhD, Sayaka Okamoto, MD, PhD,
Shigeru Sonoda, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 6: 27-32, 2015
Purpose: To evaluate the effects of short-term robotassisted
training on upper extremity paralysis after a
stroke.
Methods: The subjects consisted of 21 patients 6-12
weeks after their first stroke. Two weeks of robotassisted
training and 2 weeks of conventional training
were performed using a crossover method. During the
robot-assisted training period, robot-assisted training
(1 hour/day, 5 days/week) was added to conventional
training. At the initiation of training and after 2 and 4
weeks, motor function was evaluated in terms of the
upper extremity items of the Stroke Impairment
Assessment Set and Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA),
active angles of shoulder flexion and abduction, and
items of the Motor Activity Log (MAL). Values before
and after each type of training and gains were
compared between robot-assisted and conventional
training using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: Compared with the conventional training
after 2 weeks, significant improvements could be seen
for the scores of the FMA of shoulder and elbow, the
Amount of Use of MAL, and Quality of Movement of
MAL items of robot-assisted training.
Conclusion: After intensive robot-assisted training of
the paralyzed extremity even for a short period,
improvement was observed in the proximal function
and frequency of use of the affected extremity in daily
life.
Key words: stroke, rehabilitation, upper limb hemiparesis training, manipulandum