Armeo®Spring therapy improves movement efficiency and contributes to a better quality of life

The main objective was to explore the effect of exoskeleton-assisted rehabilitation on quality of life in the subacute state of ischemic stroke.

Central upper extremity hemiparesis affects self-care, social participation, and quality of life. Exoskeleton devices serve as a therapeutic tool and an assessment tool that offers precise tracking of patient progress and evaluation of impairment.

The trial was carried out from April 2022 to September 2023. Twenty-seven patients were randomly assigned to the intervention (14 participants; mean age 64.71 years; 5 women, 9 men) and control group (13 participants; mean age 64.69 years; 6 women, 7 men). Both groups received equal total therapy (10 to 12 sessions, 5 times a week). The intervention group received 30 minutes of Armea®Spring training combined with conventional rehabilitation. The control group was subjected to conventional rehabilitation.

In the comparison between groups, the experimental group achieved significant changes in quality of life, movement efficiency, and functional performance of the upper extremities.

Armeo®Spring therapy combined with usual care led to significantly larger changes in health-related quality of life and upper extremity movement efficiency compared to conventional rehabilitation (Tab. 4, Fig. 3, Ref. 64.) Text in PDF www.elis.sk Keywords: stroke, hemiparesis, health-related quality of life, Armeo®Spring, movement efficiency, activities of daily living.