Upper Limb Task-Oriented Rehabilitation With Robotic Exoskeleton for Hemiparetic Stroke Patients

Robotic Assisted Task-Oriented Rehabilitation of Upper Limb for Chronic Stroke Patients

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of an assisted rehabilitation treatment through a robotic exoskeleton device on the functional recovery in a group of patients with hemiparesis from lesion of the first motor neuron (post-stroke), compared with a group of patients subjected to a conventional rehabilitation treatment. The patients enrolled in the study are chronic stroke injured with right hemiparesis of moderate to severe degree, by the system injury pyramid, never undergoing rehabilitation treatment with robots.

Inclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of a first-ever left hemisphere ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke at least 6 months prior to entry into the study;
• minimum ability for shoulder humeral elevation;
• upper-extremity motor function Fugl-Meyer (FM) score ≥ 15(out of 66);
• absence of neurological or muscular disorders that interfere with neuromuscular function;
• absence of severe cognitive deficits that would limit patients' ability to complete the study;
• minimum score of 2 in the Modified Ashworth Scale;
• not participating in any experimental rehabilitation or drug studies at the same time
• no previous experience with robotic treatments.