Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate four-weeks of an upper limb robotic intervention for persons with Multiple Sclerosis. Participants completed a resistive and adaptive robotic training intervention whereby participants trained three times weekly for four consecutive weeks.
Nine individuals with Multiple Sclerosis participated and were placed into two groups based that either trained their self-reported less affected limb (indirect training group; N=4) or trained their self-reported more affected limb (direct training group; N=5).
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
9
For the robotic training sessions, a haptic wrist robot known as the Wristbot was used (ReWing, Genova, Italy). The training protocol consisted of an eccentric contraction-based exercise. Participants trained 3x per week for 4 consecutive weeks for approximately 25-mins per session.
Brock University
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
maximum grip force
Participants were asked to complete one trial of a maximum grip test (Baseline Evaluation Instruments). Held with a straight arm, 45° abduction by the side and hand/wrist neutral, participants were asked to squeeze the handle as hard as possible for 3 seconds and grip force (Newton) was recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and immediately post intervention (Week 4)
Maximum isometric wrist force
the participant's arm was fully extended and rested on the table, and participants were instructed to exert force at the wrist joint (F/E, RD/UD) as hard as they could against the stationary load cell that rested on the metacarpophalangeal joints (Model: BG 500, Mark-10 Corporation, New York, USA). Two maximal exertions were completed and the largest value was recorded.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and immediately post intervention (Week 4)
Wrist tracking task
Participants were positioned in the same position as the training. By moving the end-effector with their wrist, participants tracked a moving icon around a Lissajous-curve. Participants were instructed to follow the icon as closely as possible. The target icon moved at a velocity of 20 °/s and 5 total laps were completed. Tracking and figural error were calculated as measures of performance.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and immediately post intervention (Week 4)
wrist range of motion
\- Participants grasped the end-effector as target icons appeared on the monitor in front of them, participants were then asked to match the icon to the best of their abilities. When the user was at their maximal end-point range, the data was stored and recorded by the robotic device. This assessment consisted of two repetitions in each direction F/E, RD/UD.
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and immediately post intervention (Week 4)
Wolf Motor Function Test
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functional clinical assessment of the upper limb
Time frame: Baseline (Week 0) and immediately post intervention (Week 4)