Vibrotactile Stimulation for Upper-Extremity Stroke Rehabilitation

Vibrotactile Stimulation for Neurological Disorders

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate upper-extremity vibrotactile stimulation with wearables in stroke patients. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Are the wearables well-tolerated by patients? Does the vibrotactile stimulation help regain arm function?

Participants will wear vibrotactile stimulation gloves and shirts for 5 hours daily during their stay at the rehabilitation unit, in addition to conventional therapy. Researchers will compare the treatment group (vibrotactile stimulation wearables) with a control group (conventional therapy only) to see the effects of the vibrotactile stimulation.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Inpatients at rehabilitation units
• Unilateral left or right sided ischemic stroke within the previous 2 weeks
• Have Upper-Extremity Fugl-Meyer scores between 6 and 58
• Have at least 20 degrees of active shoulder elevation and elbow flexion
• Expected to stay 1-3 weeks in the rehabilitation unit

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under anti-spasticity therapy
• Patients that are dependent on pacemakers
• Patients that have defibrillators
• Have lymphedema or AV fistula for dialysis on an arm