Systematic review of outcome measures of walking training using electromechanical and robotic devices in patients with stroke.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify appropriate selection criteria of clinical scales for future trials, starting from those most commonly reported in the literature, according to their psychometric properties and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) domains.

Data Sources: A computerized literature research of articles was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINALH, PubMed, PsychINFO and Scopus databases.

Study Selection: Clinical trials evaluating the effects of electromechanical and robot-assisted gait training trials in stroke survivors.

Short-term and long-term outcomes of serial robotic training for improving upper limb function in chronic stroke.

The aim of this study was to determine short-term and long-term changes in motor function in patients with chronic hemiparesis who underwent robot training and to evaluate its long-term benefit after 6 months. This was a longitudinal study with a 6-month follow-up. The 15 patients included in this study underwent the Fugl-Meyer test, the Ashworth Scale test, the Frenchay Arm test, and the Box and Block test according to the following schedule: immediately before (T1, T3) and after each treatment (T2, T4), and 6 months after T4 (T5).

Walking performance: correlation between energy cost of walking and walking participation. new statistical approach concerning outcome measurement.

Walking ability, though important for quality of life and participation in social and economic activities, can be adversely affected by neurological disorders, such as Spinal Cord Injury, Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis or Traumatic Brain Injury. The aim of this study is to evaluate if the energy cost of walking (CW), in a mixed group of chronic patients with neurological diseases almost 6 months after discharge from rehabilitation wards, can predict the walking performance and any walking restriction on community activities, as indicated by Walking Handicap Scale categories (WHS). One hundred and seven subjects were included in the study, 31 suffering from Stroke, 26 from Spinal Cord Injury and 50 from Multiple Sclerosis.

Robot-aided therapy for upper limbs in patients with stroke-related lesions. Brief report of a clinical experience.

This study was aimed at verifying the improvement on the motor impairment and functionality in 19 patients with chronic hemiparesis after stroke treated with a robot-aided rehabilitation protocol using the ReoGo™ system (Motorika Medical Ltd, Israel), and at evaluating the persistence of the effects after 1 month. The study also focused on the actual possibility of administering the robot-aided therapy with the ReoGo™ for the upper limbs and on the patients' degree of acceptance and compliance with the treatment. Subjects underwent an assessment prior to the start of the rehabilitation project (T-1), one at the start (T0), one at the end of the treatment (T1) and one after one month from the end of the treatment (T2).

Cost of walking, exertional dyspnoea and fatigue in individuals with multiple sclerosis not requiring assistive devices.

Objective: To assess the cost of walking in individuals with multiple sclerosis and to investigate its relationship with dyspnoea and fatigue.

Methods: In 46 individuals with multiple sclerosis and in 36 healthy controls, the cost of walking was measured during the 6-min walk test. Perceived breathlessness after walking was rated on a visual analogue scale and corrected for the distance walked.

Robot therapy for functional recovery of the upper limbs: a pilot study on patients after stroke.

Objective: To verify the possibility of administering robot-aided therapy for the upper limbs in patients after stroke; to evaluate patients' degree of acceptance and compliance with the treatment; to establish if the treatment has an effect on motor impairment and functional outcome.

Design: Quasi-experimental, uncontrolled study.

Subjects: Fourteen patients with chronic hemiparesis after stroke.