Comparative Assessment of Robotic versus Classical Physical Therapy Using Muscle Strength and Ranges of Motion...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neurorehabilitation
• Robotics in Medicine

Background:

• Increasing prevalence of motor deficits necessitates efficient rehabilitation strategies.
• Overburdened healthcare systems drive demand for innovative therapeutic approaches.
• Robotic systems offer potential for standardized and intensive physical rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of three robotic devices (ParReEx Elbow, ParReEx Wrist, ASPIRE) in upper-limb rehabilitation.
• To compare robotic-assisted therapy with traditional manual rehabilitation for patients with neurological motor deficits.
• To assess functional recovery across different neurological pathologies (vascular, extrapyramidal, neuromuscular).

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three patients with motor deficits from stroke, Parkinson's disease, and ALS participated.
• Patients were divided into vascular, extrapyramidal, and neuromuscular groups.
• Objective measures including Medical Research Council (MRC) scale, goniometry, and dynamometry were used for pre- and post-rehabilitation assessments.

Main Results:

• Robotic-assisted rehabilitation demonstrated comparable outcomes to manual therapy, with minor differences in muscular strength recovery.
• Significant improvements in range of motion (over 40%) were observed in the vascular group via goniometry.
• MRC scale showed no significant differences, and dynamometry indicated moderate improvements, particularly in the vascular group.

Conclusions:

• Robotic-assisted physical rehabilitation is a viable alternative to manual therapy for upper-limb recovery in neurological conditions.
• Short-term rehabilitation showed minor improvements, with greatest gains in range of motion for specific patient groups.
• Further research with larger sample sizes and longer study durations is recommended to fully elucidate long-term efficacy.