Study design
Randomized, controlled single-blind cross over study. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02473614).
Objectives
Examine usership patterns and feasibility of MusicGlove for at home hand rehabilitation therapy following chronic spinal cord injury.
Setting
Homes of participants.
Methods
Ten participants with chronic spinal cord injury completed two baseline assessments of hand function. After a stable baseline was determined all participants were randomized into two groups: Experimental and Control. Each group was given a recommended therapy dosage. Following this participants switched interventions.
Results
On average participants had higher levels of compliance (6.1 ± 3.5 h.), and completed more grips (15,760 ± 9,590 grips) compared to participants in previous stroke studies using the same device. Participants modulated game parameters in a manner consistent with optimal challenge principles from motor learning theory. Participants in the experimental group increased their prehension ability (1 ± 1.4 MusicGlove, 0.2 ± 0.5 Control) and performance (1.4 ± 2.2 MusicGlove, 0.4 ± 0.55 Control) on the Graded and Redefined Assessment of Strength, Sensibility, and Prehension subtests. Increases in performance on the Box and Blocks Test also favored the experimental group compared to the conventional group at the end of therapy (4.2 ± 5.9, −1.0 ± 3.4 respectively).
Conclusions
MusicGlove is a feasible option for hand therapy in the home-setting for individuals with chronic SCI. Participants completed nearly twice as many gripping movements compared to individuals from the sub-acute and chronic stroke populations, and a number far greater than the number of movements typically achieved during traditional rehabilitation.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.