Kinematics variations after spring-assisted orthosis training in persons with stroke.

Abstract

Static wrist splinting after stroke was not effective in facilitating distal movement. However, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of training using kinematic parameters after a SaeboFlex orthosis training on chronic stroke patients. Five stroke patients participated in 4 weeks of training using a SaeboFlex orthosis for 1 hour per day, five times per week. Fugl-Meyer Assessment, Box and Block Test, Action Research Arm Test, and Kinematics using a three-dimensional motion analysis system were used for evaluating of training effects. The upper extremity score of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment and the Box and Block Test score were increased significantly after the intervention. The jerkiness score of the shoulder and elbow joints at the sagittal plane decreased significantly during the reach-to-grasp task at acromion height, and the jerkiness scores of the wrist joint during the reach-to-grasp task decreased significantly at both elbow and acromion heights. The results of this study indicate that a SaeboFlex training is effective in recovering the movement of the hemiparetic upper extremity of patients after stroke. Using a spring-assisted dynamic hand orthosis is considered to be an effective treatment option for providing repetition, task-oriented training, and real-world activities for the hemiparetic upper extremity, which was impaired hand to perform functional training.