Effectiveness of robotics in improving upper extremity functions among people with neurological dysfunction: a systematic review

Purpose: The primary focus of this review was to find out the effectiveness of robotics in improving upper extremity functions among people with neurological problems in the arena of physical rehabilitation.

Material and methods: Two reviewers independently scrutinized the included studies. The selected studies underwent quality assessment by Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) having a score of four or more were included in the review. A search was conducted in PUBMED, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PROQUEST, science direct, Cochrane Library, PEDro and Google Scholar.

Results: A total of 202 studies were identified. After removal of duplication, inclusion and exclusion criteria’s n?=?23 studies were included in the review process. For analysis, only the primary outcome measures of the studies were taken into account. Studies finally included in analysis were n?=?21. The included studies were 19 in stroke, 1 in cerebral palsy (CP) and 1 study in multiple sclerosis (MS). No RCTs were reportedly found in spinal cord injury (SCI), Parkinson and motor neuron disease (MND).

Conclusions: Studies related to stroke showed a clear definiteness in the improvement of upper extremity functions. On the contrary, there still remains a need for quality trials in CP, MS to establish the efficacy of robotics in upper extremity rehabilitation.