COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF ROBOT-ASSISTED TRAINING VERSUS ENHANCED UPPER EXTREMITY THERAPY ON UPPER AND LOWER EXTREMITY FOR STROKE SURVIVORS: A MULTICENTRE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

OBJECTIVE: Robot-assisted neuro-rehabilitation therapy plays a central role in upper extremity recovery of stroke. However, the efficacy of robotic training on the upper extremity is not yet well defined, and little attention has been devoted to its potential effect on the lower extremity. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of robot-assisted training and therapist-mediated enhanced upper extremity therapy on the upper and lower extremities. METHODS: A randomized clinical trial involving 172 stroke survivors was conducted in China. All participants received either robot-assisted training or enhanced upper extremity therapy for 3 weeks. Fugl-Meyer assessment upper extremity subscale (FMA-UE), Fugl-Meyer assessment lower extremity subscale (FMA-LE), and Modified Barthel Index were administered at baseline, mid-treatment (1 week after treatment start), and post-treatment. RESULTS: Participants in the robot-assisted training group showed a significant improvement in the hemiplegia extremity, which was non-inferior to the enhanced upper extremity therapy group in FMA-UE (p < 0.05), while suggesting greater motor recovery of lower extremity in FMA-LE (p < 0.05) compared with the enhanced upper extremity therapy group. A marked increase in Modified Barthel Index was observed within groups; however, no significant difference was found between groups. CONCLUSION: Robot-assisted training is non-inferior but not better in reducing impairment of the upper extremity and appears to be superior in reducing impairment of the lower extremity compared with enhanced upper extremity therapy for stroke survivors. LAY ABSTRACT Although post-stroke robot-assisted training of the upper extremity has been widely studied, its efficacy is not yet well defined, and its effects on the lower extremity are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of upper extremity robot-assisted training on the upper and lower extremities in stroke survivors. Robot-assisted training is non-inferior in improving the function of the upper extremity and superior in improving the function of the lower extremity compared with enhanced upper extremity therapy. Robot-assisted training can be used for functional recovery of the upper and lower extremities in stroke survivors.