Motoki Mita, MD, Koichi Suzumori, PhD, Daisuke Kudo, MD, PhD, Kimio Saito, MD, PhD, Satoaki Chida, OTR, PhD, Kazutoshi Hatakeyama, RPT, PhD, Yoichi Shimada, MD, PhD, Naohisa Miyakoshi, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 13: 12-16, 2022
Objective: We investigated the utility of a wearable
robot for the fingers that we developed using pneumatic
artificial muscles for rehabilitation of patients with
post-stroke spasticity.
Methods: Three patients with post-stroke finger
spasticity underwent rehabilitation for 20 minutes a
day, 5 days a week, for 3 weeks. Passive range of
motion, Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and
circumference of each finger were measured before
and after training and compared.
Results: The range of motion and finger circumference
increased when using a wearable robot. The MAS
improved partially, and no exacerbation was observed.
Conclusions: The wearable robot we developed is
useful for rehabilitation of post-stroke spasticity and
may improve venous return.
Key words: spasticity, pneumatic artificial muscle, range-of-motion exercise, venous return