Aha BOOST Arm-hand BOOST Therapy to Enhance Recovery After Stroke: Clinical, Health Economic and Process Evaluation

"Aha BOOST consists of 20 one-hour BOOST sessions (spread over 4 weeks, 5 days a week) and one hour of individual technology-supported therapy per week (divided in two times 30 minutes), with the aim to provide intensive, goal-oriented upper limb therapy. The sessions will be executed with a maximum of two participants, under supervision of a trained therapist.~The group sessions are focused on four key aspects: neurophysiology, sequences of reaching and grasping, de-weighting of the arm, and orientation of the hand towards objects. The different exercises are tailored to the individual patient, based upon ongoing assessment, discussion within the group of therapists, and individual treatment goals of the patient. Additionally, patients exercise two times 30 minutes per week with the AMADEO® (Tyromotion, Austria), an upper limb robotic device, focusing on finger and hand rehabilitation."

L-BOOST consists of 20 one-hour sessions and a personalized two times 30 minutes self-exercise program per week and focused on strengthening exercises for the lower limbs and general reconditioning. During the group sessions, circuit-class training is performed according to a standardized written protocol: 20 minutes of cycling on a sitting bike, 20 minutes of strengthening exercises for muscles around hip and knee (e.g. sit-to-stand training), 10 minutes of knee exercises using quadriceps bench in free swing mode and 10 minutes of leg press exercises. Again, a gradual increase in levels of difficulty is provided. Additionally, each patient receives a self-exercise program (balance; strengthening of foot, knee, and hip muscles; walking exercises), which is executed two times 30 minutes per week under minimal supervision of a therapist. None of the exercises involve the use of the upper limb.