This study looked at how well robotic therapy helps people recover arm movement after a stroke. Researchers tested 94 inpatients with moderate-to-severe upper limb impairment who were less than three months post-stroke. The participants were treated at eight stroke neurorehabilitation units.
The intervention group received 25 sessions of exoskeleton-assisted robotic-assisted therapy, five times a week for five weeks. The control group received conventional rehabilitation. The primary goal was to measure changes in motor function using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Limb.
Results showed that the robotic group had significantly greater improvement than the control group. The median difference between groups was 22 points, with a p-value less than 0.001. Additionally, 68.4% of the robotic group reached the minimal clinically important difference compared to 31.8% in the control group.
Secondary outcomes related to body function, activity, and participation improved significantly in both groups, but there were no significant differences between them. Spasticity did not change significantly in either group. Twelve percent of participants dropped out of the study. No adverse events were reported.
The researchers suggest that further research is needed to evaluate long-term effects and to optimize protocols based on patient characteristics. This trial indicates that exoskeleton-assisted therapy offers significant clinical benefits for early post-stroke upper limb recovery.