Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026
Author Spotlight: Rehabilitation of Stroke Patients With a Digital Occupational Training System
Published on: December 29, 2023
Effects of training with a passive hand orthosis and games at home in chronic stroke: a pilot randomised controlled
Sharon M Nijenhuis1,2, Gerdienke B Prange-Lasonder1,2, Arno Ha Stienen1,2,3
11 Roessingh Research and Development, Enschede, the Netherlands.
Objectives:
To compare user acceptance and arm and hand function changes after technology-supported training at home with conventional exercises in chronic stroke. Secondly, to investigate the relation between training duration and clinical changes.
Design:
A randomised controlled trial.
Setting:
Training at home, evaluation at research institute.
Subjects:
Twenty chronic stroke patients with severely to mildly impaired arm and hand function.
Interventions:
Participants were randomly assigned to six weeks (30 minutes per day, six days a week) of self-administered home-based arm and hand training using either a passive dynamic wrist and hand orthosis combined with computerised gaming exercises (experimental group) or prescribed conventional exercises from an exercise book (control group).
Main Measures:
Main outcome measures are the training duration for user acceptance and the Action Research Arm Test for arm and hand function. Secondary outcomes are the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, Fugl-Meyer assessment, Motor Activity Log, Stroke Impact Scale and grip strength.
Results:
The control group reported a higher training duration (189 versus 118 minutes per week, P = 0.025). Perceived motivation was positive and equal between groups ( P = 0.935). No differences in clinical outcomes over training between groups were found (P ⩾ 0.165). Changes in Box and Block Test correlated positively with training duration ( P = 0.001).
Conclusions:
Both interventions were accepted. An additional benefit of technology-supported arm and hand training over conventional arm and hand exercises at home was not demonstrated. Training duration in itself is a major contributor to arm and hand function improvements.
