Proximal- Versus Distal-Prioritized Robotic Practice Plus Kinetic Exergaming in Stroke Rehabilitation

According to the group assignment, participants will start from the BMT proximal mode (i.e., forearm pronation-supination movement), and then the distal mode (i.e., wrist flexion-extension movement), and vice versa. Each participant is expected to complete approximately 400 to 600 repetitions of the proximal mode session (i.e., forearm movements) and another 400 to 600 repetitions of the distal mode session (i.e., wrist movements), respectively.

All of the participants in experimental and comparison groups will practice on the exergaming for 30 minutes per session. To avoid fatigue, the four domains of programs will be provided alternately. Each program will be executed for approximately 5 minutes with warm-up, followed by a 2-minute break between programs, and cool-down. The games will be selected and adapted according to the personal capacity, the occupational role, and the rehabilitation goal of each participant. The investigators will illustrate and guide the participants to play the games and stand next to them to prevent falls from occurring. To increase security, we will place a handrail in front of the participant for support as needed.

Participants in control group will receive 30 minutes of therapist-mediated conventional therapy per session. The training protocols of the conventional therapy will use occupational therapy techniques, such as neurodevelopmental techniques and functional task training. The therapy will be adapted to the participants' levels of motor deficits and their personal needs. The protocol will include affected arm exercise or gross motor training, muscle strengthening of the affected arm, fine motor or dexterity training, and functional tasks of daily life or compensatory techniques to alleviate functional deficits. The content of the functional tasks will be decided together by participants and therapists, such as picking up and putting down items in a box, lifting two soft drink bottles, and so on.