Myoelectric Arm Orthosis Assists Functional Activities: A 3-Month Home Use Outcome Report

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation medicine
• Neuroscience
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Upper limb impairment after stroke significantly impacts daily activities and independence.
• Myoelectric arm orthoses offer potential for restoring function in individuals with residual arm weakness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare task performance in individuals with upper limb impairments with and without a myoelectric arm orthosis.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the MyoPro orthosis in improving functional task completion in stroke survivors.

Main Methods:

• A 3-month observational study involving 18 adults with chronic arm weakness due to stroke.
• Participants completed standardized daily tasks remotely at home with and without the MyoPro orthosis at 4 time points.
• Functional task success and time required were evaluated using longitudinal mixed regression models.

Main Results:

• Significant and clinically meaningful improvements in functional task performance were observed over 3 months.
• Participants demonstrated increased success and reduced task completion time when using the MyoPro compared to without.
• By 3 months, participants showed higher probability of success and decreased time for task completion with the orthosis.

Conclusions:

• The custom-fabricated MyoPro myoelectric arm orthosis provides stabilizing support for individuals post-stroke.
• It enables impaired arm use for independent completion of functional tasks within the home environment.
• The MyoPro significantly enhances functional task performance and independence for stroke survivors with upper limb impairment.