Recovery from a stroke is often a difficult and meticulous process requiring assistance from a physical therapist and a good deal of motivation on the part of the patient. To help improve therapy, various robotic devices have been designed to train patients to move their arms and legs, and so to help the brain relearn how to activate muscles correctly.
Researchers at ETH Zurich, a technical university in Switzerland, have been testing a specialized robot, the ARMin, against conventional therapy with therapists for stroke rehab. The robot is able to help move a patient’s arm in a variety of ways along with visualized exercises displayed on a computer monitor. This provides precise training and can help build muscle memory. In the study, the team showed that the robotic training was slightly better in helping patients recover than conventional therapy.
Findings: Between May 4, 2009, and Sept 3, 2012, 143 individuals were tested for eligibility, of whom 77 were eligible and agreed to participate. 38 patients assigned to robotic therapy and 35 assigned to conventional therapy were included in analyses. Patients assigned to robotic therapy had significantly greater improvements in motor function in the affected arm over the course of the study as measured by FMA-UE than did those assigned to conventional therapy (F=4·1, p=0·041; mean difference in score 0·78 points, 95% CI 0·03—1·53). No serious adverse events related to the study occurred.
Interpretation: Neurorehabilitation therapy including task-oriented training with an exoskeleton robot can enhance improvement of motor function in a chronically impaired paretic arm after stroke more effectively than conventional therapy. However, the absolute difference between effects of robotic and conventional therapy in our study was small and of weak significance, which leaves the clinical relevance in question.
Link: Flashbaks of stroke rehab robots we’ve covered in the past…
Study in The Lancet Neurology: Three-dimensional, task-specific robot therapy of the arm after stroke: a multicentre, parallel-group randomised trial…
Press release: Increased mobility thanks to robotic rehab…