Applied Sciences (Dec 2021)
Robot-Assisted Upper Limb Training for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: An Evidence-Based Review of Clinical Applications and Effectiveness
- Sofia Straudi,
- Marco Tramontano,
- Emanuele Francesco Russo,
- Luca Perrero,
- Michela Agostini,
- Marialuisa Gandolfi,
- Irene Aprile,
- Matteo Paci,
- Emanuela Casanova,
- Dario Marino,
- Giuseppe La Rosa,
- Federica Bressi,
- Silvia Sterzi,
- Daniele Giansanti,
- Alberto Battistini,
- Sandra Miccinilli,
- Serena Filoni,
- Monica Sicari,
- Salvatore Petrozzino,
- Claudio Marcello Solaro,
- Stefano Gargano,
- Paolo Benanti,
- Paolo Boldrini,
- Donatella Bonaiuti,
- Enrico Castelli,
- Francesco Draicchio,
- Vincenzo Falabella,
- Silvia Galeri,
- Francesca Gimigliano,
- Mauro Grigioni,
- Stefano Mazzoleni,
- Stefano Mazzon,
- Franco Molteni,
- Maurizio Petrarca,
- Alessandro Picelli,
- Federico Posteraro,
- Michele Senatore,
- Giuseppe Turchetti,
- Giovanni Morone,
- Working Group Upper Limb “CICERONE” Italian Consensus Conference on Robotic Rehabilitation
Affiliations
- Sofia Straudi
- Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Department, Ferrara University Hospital, 44122 Ferrara, Italy
- Marco Tramontano
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Emanuele Francesco Russo
- Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Luca Perrero
- Neurorehabilitation Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, 15121 Alessandria, Italy
- Michela Agostini
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Rehabilitation, University-General Hospital of Padova, 35122 Padova, Italy
- Marialuisa Gandolfi
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
- Irene Aprile
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, 50143 Florence, Italy
- Matteo Paci
- AUSL (Unique Sanitary Local Company) District of Central Tuscany, 50122 Florence, Italy
- Emanuela Casanova
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Medicina Riabilitativa e Neuroriabilitazione, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Dario Marino
- IRCCS Neurolysis Center “Bonino Pulejo”, 98124 Messina, Italy
- Giuseppe La Rosa
- C.S.R. Consorzio Siciliano di Riabilitazione, 95123 Catania, Italy
- Federica Bressi
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Silvia Sterzi
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Daniele Giansanti
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Alberto Battistini
- IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, UOC Medicina Riabilitativa e Neuroriabilitazione, 40139 Bologna, Italy
- Sandra Miccinilli
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Campus Bio-Medico University, 00128 Rome, Italy
- Serena Filoni
- Padre Pio Foundation and Rehabilitation Centers, 71013 San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
- Monica Sicari
- A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
- Salvatore Petrozzino
- A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, 10126 Torino, Italy
- Claudio Marcello Solaro
- CRRF “Mons. Luigi Novarese”, 13040 Moncrivello, Italy
- Stefano Gargano
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, 20148 Milan, Italy
- Paolo Benanti
- Faculty of Theology, Pontifical Gregorian University, 00187 Rome, Italy
- Paolo Boldrini
- Società Italiana di Medicina Fisica e Riabilitativa (SIMFER), 00198 Roma, Italy
- Donatella Bonaiuti
- Società Italiana di Medicina Fisica e Riabilitativa (SIMFER), 00198 Roma, Italy
- Enrico Castelli
- Paediatric Neurorehabilitation, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, 00165 Rome, Italy
- Francesco Draicchio
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, INAIL, Monte Porzio Catone, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Vincenzo Falabella
- President Italian Federation of Persons with Spinal Cord Injuries (Faip Onlus), 00195 Rome, Italy
- Silvia Galeri
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS, 20148 Milan, Italy
- Francesca Gimigliano
- Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy
- Mauro Grigioni
- National Center for Innovative Technologies in Public Health, Italian National Institute of Health, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Stefano Mazzoleni
- Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Politecnico di Bari, 70125 Bari, Italy
- Stefano Mazzon
- AULSS6 (Unique Sanitary Local Company) Euganea Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Franco Molteni
- Villa Beretta Rehabilitation Center, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Valduce Hospital, 23845 Costa Masnaga, Italy
- Maurizio Petrarca
- Movement Analysis and Robotics Laboratory MARlab, IRCCS Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, 00163 Rome, Italy
- Alessandro Picelli
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
- Federico Posteraro
- Versilia Hospital AUSL Toscana Nord Ovest, 55049 Lucca, Italy
- Michele Senatore
- Past President A.I.T.O.—Associazione italiana terapisti occupazionali, 00136 Rome, Italy
- Giuseppe Turchetti
- Management Institute, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, 56127 Pisa, Italy
- Giovanni Morone
- Santa Lucia Foundation, IRCCS, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Working Group Upper Limb “CICERONE” Italian Consensus Conference on Robotic Rehabilitation
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010222
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12,
no. 1
p. 222
Abstract
Upper extremities limitation is a common functional impairment in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Novel technological devices are increasingly used in neurorehabilitation to support motor function improvement and the quantitative assessment of motor performance during training in patients with neurological diseases. In this review, we systematically report the evidence on clinical applications and robotic-assisted arm training (RAT) in functional recovery in PwMS. PubMed/MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) databases were systematically searched from inception to March 2021. The 10-item PEDro scale assessed the study quality for the RCT, and the AMSTAR-2 was used to assess the quality of the systematic review. The 5-item Oxford CEBM scale was used to rate the level of evidence. A total of 10 studies (161 subjects) were included. The selected studies included one systematic review, four RCTs, one randomized crossover, and four case series. The RCTs were scored as high-quality studies, while the systematic review was determined to be of low quality. Shoulder range of motion, handgrip strength, and proximal arm impairment improved after RAT. Manual dexterity, arm function, and use in daily life also ameliorated arm function. The high clinical heterogeneity of treatment programs and the variety of robot devices affects the generalizability of the study results; therefore, we emphasize the need to standardize the intervention type in future studies that evaluate the role of robotic-assisted training in PwMS. Robot-assisted treatment seems safe and useful to increase manual dexterity and the quality of movement execution in PwMS with moderate to severe disability. Additional studies with an adequate sample size and methodological rigour are warranted to drive definite conclusions.
Keywords
