ClinicalTrials.gg
Status unknownNCT06382454Updated May 7, 2024

Upper Extremity Robot-Assisted Therapy in Stroke Patients

An interventional study of Assist-On Arm Robot Group and Control Group in Stroke and Upper Extremity, sponsored by Hacettepe University. Status unknown at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-05-07.

Sponsored by Hacettepe University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

The sponsor has not verified this record recently (last verified May 2024), so the status shown — last known as Not yet recruiting — may be out of date.
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
40
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

Upper extremity hemiparesis is one of the most common symptoms after stroke. Robot-assisted therapies have been used as an approach to rehabilitation of upper extremity hemiplegia in recent years. Robot-assisted therapy is an approach to post-stroke rehabilitation that uses robotic devices to provide motor or task-oriented training to patients. When the literature is examined, there are studies showing that robot-assisted therapies are similar or superior to conventional methods. In order to provide the most effective rehabilitation approach in upper extremity robots, it is suggested that it may be more accurate to consider the robotic device as a training platform consisting of various therapeutic techniques and principles, not as a tool alone. A robotic system will be used to overcome the disadvantages of the existing robotic systems in the literature such as not providing support to the patient at the time of need, not providing fluidity in shoulder movements by not taking into account the scapulohumeral rhythm in upper extremity movements, long installation times, and ignoring task-oriented training. The system to be used is a self-aligning exoskeleton system for robot-assisted upper extremity rehabilitation. The system provides safe and versatile rehabilitation at increasing intensity and also allows for objective assessments. The aim of this clinical study was to evaluate the efficacy of robot-assisted upper limb rehabilitation in stroke patients.

02

Conditions studied

  • Stroke
  • Upper Extremity

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Keywords

  • Stroke
  • Robot-Assisted Therapies
  • Upper Extremity
  • Exoskeleton Robot
  • Motor Performance
03

In context

Stroke

7,441 studies on the registry are indexed under Stroke; 2,012 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 40 is below the median of 50 across 5,482 interventional studies indexed under Stroke.

Browse Stroke studies →

Lead sponsor

Hacettepe University is the lead sponsor of 1,001 studies on the registry; 215 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Spasticity of the upper extremity muscles is 2 or less according to the Modified Ashworth Scale
  • Stroke patients with a Mini Mental State Examination score of 24 and above will be included in the study

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have a neurological disease other than stroke that may affect upper extremity movements
  • Surgery or botox application for upper extremity spasticity in the last 6 months
  • History of upper extremity fracture or surgery
  • Attending another rehabilitation program
  • Individuals who do not agree to participate in the study and do not give written informed consent will be excluded from the study.
05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
40 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Treatment Group

    30 minutes of individualized trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises; the other 30 minutes will be treated with the robotic system. In the robot-assisted treatment, a total of 12 movements will be used, including the movement patterns that patients have the most difficulty in daily life and two movement patterns used in the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation approach. Individual-specific rehabilitation program; individual-specific trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises to be applied in both groups will consist of the following exercises according to the needs of the patients, and the degree of difficulty will be planned according to the needs of the patients. All patients will be treated for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 60 minutes a day.

    Device: Assist-On Arm Robot Group

  • Active comparator
    Control Group

    For 30 minutes, exercises including trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises specific to the individual will be practiced, while the movement patterns to be used in the robotic system will be practiced in the other 30 minutes with the physiotherapist. Individual-specific rehabilitation program; individual-specific trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises to be applied in both groups will consist of the following exercises according to the needs of the patients, and the degree of difficulty will be planned according to the needs of the patients. All patients will be treated for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 60 minutes a day.

    Other: Control Group

Interventions

  • DeviceAssist-On Arm Robot Group

    30 minutes of individualized trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises; the other 30 minutes will be treated with the robotic system. In the robot-assisted treatment, a total of 12 movements will be used, including the movement patterns that patients have the most difficulty in daily life and two movement patterns used in the Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation approach. Individual-specific rehabilitation program; individual-specific trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises to be applied in both groups will consist of the following exercises according to the needs of the patients, and the degree of difficulty will be planned according to the needs of the patients. All patients will be treated for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 60 minutes a day.

    Also known as: Assist-On Arm Robot

  • OtherControl Group

    For 30 minutes, exercises including trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises specific to the individual will be practiced, while the movement patterns to be used in the robotic system will be practiced in the other 30 minutes with the physiotherapist. Individual-specific rehabilitation program; individual-specific trunk, lower extremity and upper extremity exercises to be applied in both groups will consist of the following exercises according to the needs of the patients, and the degree of difficulty will be planned according to the needs of the patients. All patients will be treated for 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 60 minutes a day.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Modified Ashworth Scale

    Spasticity of the patients will be evaluated with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). The MAS, which assesses resistance to passive movement, is the most widely used method for the evaluation of muscle tone in the clinic. Spasticity is graded as 0, 1, 1+, 2, 3 and 4 according to the resistance of the muscle.

    Time frame: 5 minutes

  2. Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Extremity

    The Fugl Meyer Assessment is a disease-specific assessment designed to evaluate motor function, balance, sensory qualities and joint function in individuals after stroke. The scale consists of 5 sections: motor function, sensory function, balance (standing-sitting), range of motion and joint pain. Scoring is based on the ability to complete each item using a 3-point ordinal scale, where 0 = cannot perform, 1 = partially perform and 2 = fully perform. It is stated in the literature that the scale can also be divided. Therefore, in our study, the upper extremity part of the scale will be used in the evaluation of upper extremity performance before and after treatment. The total score that can be obtained from the Fugl Meyer Upper Extremity assessment is 66 and includes items evaluating joint movements, coordination-speed and reflex activities related to the shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand.

    Time frame: 15 minutes

  3. Action Research Arm Test

    Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) is a performance-based test that assesses upper extremity skills and functional level. The test has 4 subgroups evaluating coarse grasping, fine grasping, fingertip grasping and gross movement and 19 evaluation items in total. Scoring is between 0 and 3; 0 means 'movement cannot be performed at all' and 3 means 'performance is normal'. For the test, objects of special sizes and shapes suitable for the relevant grasping styles are required.

    Time frame: 15 minutes

  4. Box and Block Test

    The Box and Block Test, which provides a measure of manual dexterity, is administered with two adjacent boxes with a 15.2 cm high partition between them. One of the two boxes, both 53.7 x 25.4 x 8.5 cm in size, is filled with 150 wooden blocks of 2.5 cm3 each. The patient should attempt to move the maximum number of blocks within 60 seconds by grasping each block and carrying it across the compartment to the other compartment.

    Time frame: 1 minutes

  5. Nine Hole Peg Test

    The test consists of a platform with 9 holes and 9 rods. The platform will be placed directly in front of the individuals and the rods will be adjusted so that the rods are on the dominant hand side and the holes are on the non-dominant hand side. After the test rules are explained to the individuals, the individuals will be given the opportunity to practice before the application. Individuals will be asked to insert the rods on the board as fast as possible. The test results will be recorded by measuring the time from the moment the individuals touch the first stick to the moment the last stick is attached to the platform with a stopwatch. Then, they will be asked to remove the 9 bars one by one with the same hand and the removal time will be recorded. The test will be performed for the non-dominant hand using the same method, but this time the platform will be rotated in front of the non-dominant hand.

    Time frame: 10 minutes

Secondary outcomes

  1. ACTIVLIM

    In the scale containing a total of 22 questions, the first 14 questions consist of activities involving adults and children. Questions 15-18 include activities specific to adults and questions 19-22 include activities specific to children. Since the study includes an adult group, the questionnaire including the first 18 questions will be applied to the stroke patients. When applying the ACTIVLIM scale, individuals will be asked to answer by thinking about the last 3 months. This questioning will be done in a way that the individual will be unassisted, independent of the extremity and strategy used. The scale is scored between 0 and 2. "0" means impossible, "1" means difficult, "2" means easy. Activities not performed in the last 3 months are not evaluated and the "question mark (?)" section is marked on the questionnaire page. As a result of the questionnaire, low score means clinically worse activity level and high score means clinically better activity level.

    Time frame: 5 minutes

  2. ABILHAND Assessment

    It is a scale that assesses the manual ability perceived by the individual in daily activities. In our study, the 23-item version of the scale developed for individuals with chronic stroke and including bimanual activities will be used. The scale has 23 items requiring the use of upper extremities and each item is scored as 0: impossible, 1: difficult, 2: easy. Activities not performed in the last 3 months are not scored.

    Time frame: 5 minutes

  3. Stroke Impact Scale

    Stroke Impact Scale 3.0; this scale, which aims to assess the perception of quality of life after stroke by patients themselves or their carers, consists of 8 subsections and 59 questions. Each question is scored by evaluating the difficulty experienced in the last week on a 5-point Likert scale. The score for each section ranges from 0 to 100. In addition to the 8 subsections, it also includes the evaluation of the perception of recovery after stroke with a 0-100 point visual analogue scale (0: No recovery, 100: Full recovery).

    Time frame: 10 minutes

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Hacettepe University, Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
    Ankara, Altındağ, Ankara 06100, Turkey (Türkiye)
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Start is estimated for May 2024; primary completion for Mar 2025, 10 months later.

Of 2,859 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Stroke, half reached primary completion within 23 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 45. This study's planned 10 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 2,988 studies reached it within 23 months; a quarter within 10 and three quarters within 45.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Mar 27, 2024
First posted
Apr 24, 2024
StartEst.
May 6, 2024
Primary completionEst.
Mar 30, 2025
CompletionEst.
Mar 30, 2025
Last update
May 7, 2024
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on May 7, 2024, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06382454
Collaborators
Interact Medical Technologies Inc.
Responsible party
Izel Demirhan (Research Assistant, Hacettepe University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Apr 24, 2024
Start date
May 6, 2024 (estimated)
Primary completion
Mar 30, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 30, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
May 7, 2024

Study contacts

İzel Demirhan, Msc
Contact
izel.dmrhn16@gmail.com
+905379858812
Ender Ayvat, Assoc. Prof.
Contact
Muhammed Kılınç, Prof.
study director · Hacettepe University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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