Robotic Assisted Upper-Limb Neurorehabilitation in Stroke Patients

The MIT-MANUS robot consists of four modules to train the entire upper limb: module A: shoulder-elbow; module B: anti-gravity; module C: wrist, and module D: hand-unit. Training will be given for 12 weeks and is divided into 4 consecutive blocks, with 9 training sessions per block.

The intensive comparison therapy protocol being used in CSP#558 was developed and field-tested at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. It exposes the patient to the identical number of treatments, time, and intensity that robot treated patients will receive (12 weeks, 3 times per week). Therapy sessions can be conducted on back-to-back days if needed and on more than 3 days a week (with approval from the Study Chairman) over a treatment period of up to 14 weeks in order to complete the 36 treatment sessions. During each 1-hour session, subjects participate in therapy in four successive stages: 1) warm-up and assisted stretching; 2) active arm treatments; 3) goal-directed planar reaching, and 4) functionally based Neurodevelopment Techniques (NDT)/Bobath arm training (Bobath, 1979).

The usual chronic stroke care as delivered at each participating medical center