Robot-Aided Upper Limb Rehabilitation in the Acute Phase

The aim of this study was to test whether additional sensorimotor robotic training of the paretic upper limb, started in acute post-stroke phase, enhanced motor recovery and functional outcome. NeReBot is a new cable-driven robotic device, developed at Padova University. Thirty patients with post-stroke hemiparesis received standard multidisciplinary rehabilitation and were randomly assigned either to robotic training within the first week after stroke, or exposed to the robotic device without training (control group). Outcomes were assessed by the same masked raters, with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of upper-extremity function, Medical Research Council score (MRC), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM) and Motor-FIM. The study revealed long term benefits of robotic therapy in persons with stroke-related paretic upper limb.