Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026
Enhancing Upper Limb Function and Motor Skills Post-Stroke Through an Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robot
Published on: September 6, 2024
Robotic training and clinical assessment of upper extremity movements after spinal cord injury: a single case report
Nuray Yozbatiran1, Jeffrey Berliner, Marcia K O'Malley
1University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Department of PM&R and UTHealth Motor Recovery Laboratory at TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, USA. nuray.yozbatiran@uth.tmc.edu
Case Report:
A 28-year-old woman, with incomplete spinal cord injury at the C2 level, classified as American Spinal Injury Impairment Scale C (AIS), participated in a robotic rehabilitation program 29 months after injury. Robotic training was provided to both upper extremities using the MAHI Exo-II, an exoskeleton device designed for rehabilitation of the upper limb, for 12 × 3-h sessions over 4 weeks. Training involved elbow flexion/extension, forearm supination/pronation, wrist flexion/extension, and radial/ulnar deviation.
Results:
Outcome measures were Action Research Arm Test, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, and AIS-upper extremity motor score. Safety measures included fatigue, pain and discomfort level using a 5-point rating scale. Following training, improvements were observed in the left arm and hand function, whereas the right arm and hand function showed no improvement in any of the functional outcome measures. No excessive pain, discomfort or fatigue was reported.
Conclusion:
Data from one subject demonstrate valuable information on the feasibility, safety and effectiveness of robotic-assisted training of upper-extremity motor functions after incomplete spinal cord injury.
