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Updated: Sep 26, 2026
The Combined Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Robotic Therapy for the Upper Limb
Published on: September 23, 2018
Effects of robotic therapy on motor impairment and recovery in chronic stroke
Susan E Fasoli1, Hermano I Krebs, Joel Stein
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. sfasoli@mit.edu
Objective:
To examine whether robotic therapy can reduce motor impairment and enhance recovery of the hemiparetic arm in persons with chronic stroke.
Design:
Pre-posttest design.
Setting:
Rehabilitation hospital, outpatient care.
Participants:
Volunteer sample of 20 persons diagnosed with a single, unilateral stroke within the past 1 to 5 years, with persistent hemiparesis.
Interventions:
Robotic therapy was provided 3 times weekly for 6 weeks. Subjects able to reach robot targets were randomly assigned to sensorimotor or progressive-resistive robotic therapy groups. Robotic therapy consisted of goal-directed, planar reaching tasks to exercise the hemiparetic shoulder and elbow.
Main Outcome Measures:
The Modified Ashworth Scale, Fugl-Meyer test of upper-extremity function, Motor Status Scale (MSS) score, and Medical Research Council motor power score.
Results:
Evaluations by a single blinded therapist revealed statistically significant gains from admission to discharge (P<.05) on the Fugl-Meyer test, MSS score, and motor power score. Secondary analyses revealed group differences: the progressive-resistive therapy group experienced nonspecific improvements on wrist and hand MSS scores that were not observed in the sensorimotor group.
Conclusions:
Robotic therapy may complement other treatment approaches by reducing motor impairment in persons with moderate to severe chronic impairments.
