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Exoneuromusculoskeleton for Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Stroke

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Upper Limb Rehabilitation
Interventions
Device: Robot assisted upper limb rehabilitation
Registration Number
NCT03752775
Lead Sponsor
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Brief Summary

A new clothing robotic arm was developed for multi-joint coordinated upper limb rehabilitation after stroke. Patients after stroke will be recruited to evaluate the rehabilitation effectiveness of the device assisted upper limb rehabilitation. Both patients with chronic stroke and subacute stroke will be investigated.

Detailed Description

A new robotic arm, named mobile exo-neuro-musculo-skeleton, was developed for upper limb rehabilitation. The system integrated the advantages of exoskeleton, soft robot, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation. It is noninvasive, light in weight, comfortable to wear, and can support the motions at the elbow, the wrist and the fingers. The device is a mobile system interfaced with a mobile app by a user.

The device assisted upper limb rehabilitation will be applied to inpatients with subacute stroke. The rehabilitation effects on the motor restoration in the upper limb will be compared with the conventional physical and occupational therapies. The rehabilitation effects of the device assisted training also will be evaluated on patients with chronic stroke. The motor improvements after training will be investigated by comparing the pre- and post- clinical assessments. It is hypothesized that the device assisted upper limb rehabilitation will be effective in both subacute and chronic patients.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
45
Inclusion Criteria

For the subacute groups:

  • Two weeks after the onset of stroke, however less than 0.5 year
  • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)>21
  • Able to sit up for at least 1 hour
  • Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) upper limb <30
  • Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) at the elbow, wrist and fingers <3
  • Detectable EMG on the target driving muscles (i.e., 3 times of the standard deviation above the baseline)

For the chronic device assisted group:

  • At least 0.5 year after the onset of stroke
  • Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)>21
  • Able to sit up for at least 1 hour
  • Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) upper limb <30
  • Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) at the elbow, wrist and fingers <3
  • Detectable EMG on the target driving muscles (i.e., 3 times of the standard deviation above the baseline)
Exclusion Criteria

Subjects will be excluded if they do not meet the above inclusion criteria, or had the following conditions:

  • Currently pregnant
  • Dysphasia (language deficiency)
  • Post-stroke neglect
  • Pacemaker implantation,
  • Involved in drug studies, other clinical trials, or concurrent medication/occupational/physical treatments on the upper limb
  • The overall medical condition not suitable for the training (e.g., severe cardiac problem, unstable blood pressure, etc.).

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
subacute conventional groupRobot assisted upper limb rehabilitation-
subacute device assisted groupRobot assisted upper limb rehabilitation-
chronic device assisted groupRobot assisted upper limb rehabilitation-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of the Upper Limb before the trainingFor each subject, the FMA score will be measured one day before the training.
Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of the Upper Limb after the trainingFor each subject, the FMA score will be measured one day after the 20-session training program.
Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of the Upper Limb 3-month follow-upFor each subject, the FMA score will be measured 3 months later after the last day of the training.
Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)For each subject, the MAS score will be measure one day before the training, one day after the 20-session training program, and 3 months later after the last day of the training.
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT)For each subject, the ARAT score will be measure one day before the training, one day after the 20-session training program, and 3 months later after the last day of the training.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

🇨🇳

Hong Kong, China

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