Enhancing Hand Motor Recovery Poststroke: A Comparative Study of Robotic vs Conventional Mirror Therapy.

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of using a robotic exoskeletal hand (RMT) combined with mirror therapy (MT) in hand rehabilitation for poststroke patients, compared to conventional MT.

Design: Randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic.

Participants: Forty poststroke subjects.

Interventions: Participants were divided into 2 groups: one received robotic exoskeletal hand therapy combined with mirror therapy (RMT+MT), and the other received conventional MT. The intervention lasted for 6 weeks.

Main Outcome Measures: Hand motor function abilities were assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremities (FMA-UE)-Hand Motor Domain, and finger dexterity was evaluated with the Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT).

Results: The RMT group showed significant improvement in hand motor function, with a median FMA-UE-Hand Motor Domain score increasing from 6 to 14 (P=.000). Finger dexterity also improved significantly in the RMT group (P=.000). The conventional MT group demonstrated significant improvements in both the FMA-UE-Hand Motor Domain (P=.001) and NHPT (P=.000). However, the RMT group achieved greater improvements, with significant differences between the 2 groups in both FMA-UE-Hand Motor Domain (P=.038) and NHPT (P=.026) scores.

Conclusions: RMT is significantly more effective in restoring hand motor skills and improving finger dexterity in patients with poststroke rehabilitation compared to conventional MT.