OTOtherJournal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation2024

Effectiveness of mixed reality-based rehabilitation on hands and fingers by individual finger-movement tracking in patients with stroke.

Yeajin Ham, Dong-Seok Yang, Younggeun Choi and 1 others

PMID 39127667

WHAT IT FOUND

Chronic stroke patients using an MR board for four weeks improved hand function, finger movement, and perceived recovery.

No control group means we cannot know if this training caused the changes.

Key findings

01Hand function measures improved after training, but proximal arm scores did not.

02Finger range of motion increased significantly across all joints during the intervention.

03Participants reported better stroke recovery on the self-reported scale.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs

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What it does not show

There was no control group, so improvement cannot be attributed to the MR board rather than natural recovery or the passage of time. The sample size was small, with only 21 participants initially. Nine of the twenty remaining participants missed the follow-up assessment, and missing data were estimated rather than measured. The training content varied between participants, making it unclear which specific exercises drove the results. The test used for finger individuation was not standardized.

The easy way to misread this

Do not assume this device causes the observed improvements. Without a control group, the gains could reflect natural recovery or placebo effects. Also, do not expect it to improve shoulder or elbow function, as proximal scores did not change.

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