Abstract
BackgroundRobot-assisted rehabilitation for patients with stroke is promising. However, it is unclear whether additional balance training using a balance-focused robot combined with conventional rehabilitation programs supplements the balance function in patients with stroke. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Balance Exercise Assist Robot (BEAR) training combined with conventional inpatient rehabilitation training to those of conventional inpatient rehabilitation only in patients with hemiparetic stroke. We also aimed to determine whether BEAR training was superior to intensive balance training.MethodsThis assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial included 60 patients with first-ever hemiparetic stroke, admitted to rehabilitation wards between December 2016 and February 2019. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups, robotic balance training and conventional inpatient rehabilitation (BEAR group), intensive balance training and conventional inpatient rehabilitation (IBT group), or conventional inpatient rehabilitation-only (CR group). The intervention duration was 2 weeks, with assessments conducted pre- and post-intervention, and at 2 weeks follow-up. The primary outcome measure was a change in the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) score from baseline.ResultsIn total, 57 patients completed the intervention, and 48 patients were evaluated at the follow-up. Significant improvements in Mini-BESTest score were observed in the BEAR and IBT groups compared with in the CR group post-intervention and after the 2-week follow-up period (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe addition of balance exercises using the BEAR alongside conventional inpatient rehabilitation improved balance in patients with subacute stroke.Trial registrationhttps://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr; Unique Identifier: UMIN000025129. Registered on 2 December 2016.
Highlights
Robot-assisted rehabilitation for patients with stroke is promising
We aimed to determine the effect of Balance Exercise Assist Robot (BEAR) training on balance in combination with conventional inpatient rehabilitation training compared to the effects of conventional inpatient rehabilitation alone in patients with hemiparetic stroke
For the intensive balance training (IBT) group, we developed a supervised balance training program that included training components demonstrating positive effects when combined with the conventional rehabilitation program in previous studies [20, 21]
Summary
Robot-assisted rehabilitation for patients with stroke is promising. it is unclear whether additional balance training using a balance-focused robot combined with conventional rehabilitation programs supplements the balance function in patients with stroke. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of Balance Exercise Assist Robot (BEAR) training combined with conventional inpatient rehabilitation training to those of conventional inpatient rehabilitation only in patients with hemiparetic stroke. Inoue et al Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (2022) 19:12 patients with stroke is effective in improving functional ability [6]. In this context, robots are considered to have great potential because of their strength in facilitating repetitive tasks. Considering task specificity, the use of a robots specialized in balance training is desirable; few studies assessing the usefulness of robot-assisted training, focused on balance, have been undertaken. To the best of our knowledge, the effectiveness of BEAR training compared with that of conventional balance training for patients with stroke has not been investigated
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