Response to upper-limb robotics and functional neuromuscular stimulation following stroke.
Twelve moderately to severely involved chronic stroke survivors (>12 mo) were randomized to one of two treatments: robotics and motor learning (ROB-ML) or functional neuromuscular stimulation and motor learning (FNS-ML). Treatment was 5 h/d, 5 d/wk for 12 wk. ROB-ML group had 1.5 h per session devoted to robotics shoulder and elbow (S/E) training. FNS-ML had 1.5 h per session devoted to functional neuromuscular stimulation (surface electrodes) for wrist and hand (W/H) flexors/extensors. The primary outcome measure was the functional measure Arm Motor Ability Test (AMAT). Secondary measures were AMAT-S/E and AMAT-W/H, Fugl-Meyer (FM) upper-limb coordination, and the motor control measures of target accuracy (TA) and smoothness of movement (SM). ROB-ML produced significant gains in AMAT, AMAT-S/E, FM upper-limb coordination, TA, and SM. FNS-ML produced significant gains in AMAT-W/H and FM upper-limb coordination.
Daly
Janis J
JJ
Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, Medical Research Service, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. jrd17@case.edu
Hogan
Neville
N
Perepezko
Elizabeth M
EM
Krebs
Hermano I
HI
Rogers
Jean M
JM
Goyal
Kanu S
KS
Dohring
Mark E
ME
Fredrickson
Eric
E
Nethery
Joan
J
Ruff
Robert L
RL