Home-based hand rehabilitation after chronic stroke: Randomized, controlled single-blind trial comparing the MusicGlove with a conventional exercise program

Abstract

Abstract-Individuals with chronic stroke have limited options for hand rehabilitation at home. Here, we sought to determine the feasibility and efficacy of home-based MusicGlove therapy. Seventeen participants with moderate hand impairment in the chronic phase of stroke were randomized to 3 wk of home-based exercise with either the MusicGlove or conventional tabletop exercises. The primary outcome measure was the change in the Box and Blocks test score from baseline to 1 mo posttreatment. Both groups significantly improved their Box and Blocks test score, but no significant difference was found between groups. The MusicGlove group did exhibit significantly greater improvements than the conventional exercise group in Motor Activity Log Quality of Movement and Amount of Use scores 1 mo posttherapy (p = 0.007 and p = 0.04, respectively). Participants significantly increased their use of MusicGlove over time, completing 466 gripping movements per day on average at study end. MusicGlove therapy was not superior to conventional tabletop exercises for the primary end point but was nevertheless feasible and led to a significantly greater increase in self-reported functional use and quality of movement of the impaired hand than conventional home exercises.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov; "Influence of Timing on Motor Learning"; NCT01769326;  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01769326

A Home-Based Telerehabilitation Program for Patients With Stroke

“…As part of the research design, the current study limited therapy to 2 hours of therapy/day for 28 days, but greater gains may be possible with a longer duration of intensive therapy 37,38 , which may be pursued in future studies. An important finding is that subjects performed an average of 24,607 over 28 days, based on 879 arm repetitions each day, a value similar to the 466 movements/hour recorded in a prior study of one of the current input devices 27 .…”

Home-based rehabilitation using a soft robotic hand glove device leads to improvement in hand function in people with chronic spinal cord injury:a pilot study

“…Several studies have investigated self-directed [17], supervised [18] or self-administered [19][20][21][22] upper limb therapy on people with stroke [23][24][25]. The studies investigated several techniques including the use of novel robotic systems [26][27][28] to deliver rehabilitation therapies at home [29][30][31][32][33][34]. The results from most of these studies showed that stroke participants improved in several outcomes including ADL performance, which were maintained for several weeks.…”

Competitive and cooperative arm rehabilitation games played by a patient and unimpaired person: effects on motivation and exercise intensity

“…Studies outside rehabilitation have already shown that motivational interventions improve compliance with the therapy regimen [15], and recent home rehabilitation studies have emphasized the importance of motivational elements that would increase the duration and intensity of exercise [16, 17]. …”