ArmAssist Robotic System versus Matched Conventional Therapy for Poststroke Upper Limb Rehabilitation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

The ArmAssist is a simple low-cost robotic system for upper limb motor training that combines known benefits of repetitive task-oriented training, greater intensity of practice, and less dependence on therapist assistance. The aim of this preliminary study was to compare the efficacy of ArmAssist (AA) robotic training against matched conventional arm training in subacute stroke subjects with moderate-to-severe upper limb impairment. Twenty-six subjects were enrolled within 3 months of stroke and randomly assigned to the AA group or Control group ( = 13 each).

Validation of the Serbian Version of Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale 88 (MSSS-88).

Objective: Multiple Sclerosis Spasticity Scale (MSSS)-88 has been developed for self-assessment of spasticity symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study was to validate MSSS-88 and evaluate the psychometric properties in patients with MS in Serbia.

Methods: The study comprised 65 MS patients with spasticity.

Validity and reliability of the Serbian version of Patient-Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure in multiple sclerosis.

The Patient-Reported Impact of Spasticity Measure (PRISM) has been developed recently to assess the impact of spasticity on quality of life after spinal cord injury. Although PRISM may also be useful in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), its psychometric properties in MS have not been established and PRISM is currently available only in English. The aims of this cross-sectional study were to translate PRISM into the Serbian language (PRISMSR) and examine its validity (construct, convergent, divergent) and reliability (internal consistency, test-retest reliability) in 48 patients with spasticity because of MS diagnosed at least 1 year earlier and in remission at least 3 months.

Feedback-mediated upper extremities exercise: increasing patient motivation in poststroke rehabilitation.

Purpose: This proof-of-concept study investigated whether feedback-mediated exercise (FME) of the affected arm of hemiplegic patients increases patient motivation and promotes greater improvement of motor function, compared to no-feedback exercise (NFE).

Method: We developed a feedback-mediated treatment that uses gaming scenarios and allows online and offline monitoring of both temporal and spatial characteristics of planar movements. Twenty poststroke hemiplegic inpatients, randomly assigned to the FME and NFE group, received therapy five days a week for three weeks.