Effect of Robotic Rehabilitation on Hand Functions and Quality of Life in Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of robotic hand rehabilitation on hand function and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy.

Design: Children with cerebral palsy aged 7-16 yrs were divided into robotic rehabilitation ( n = 9) or conventional rehabilitation ( n = 10) groups for hand rehabilitation of 30 sessions. The primary outcomes were the Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity and Box and Block Test. The secondary outcomes were the Manual Ability Classification System, modified Ashworth scale, hand grasp and finger strengths, ABILHAND-Kids, Functional Independence Measure for Children, and PedsQL Quality of Life Inventory-CP Module.

Results: In the robotic rehabilitation group, a significant improvement was found in all parameters after treatment ( P < 0.05), except for the Functional Independence Measure ( P = 0.081). In the conventional rehabilitation group, there was significant improvement after treatment in the modified Ashworth scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity, hand grasp strength, Box and Block Test, ABILHAND-Kids, and PedsQL Quality of Life Inventory-CP Module ( P < 0.05). Before and after treatment, all outcome parameters in the groups were similar ( P > 0.05).

Conclusions: Robotic hand rehabilitation is effective in improving motor function, manual dexterity, spasticity, and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy. However, it was not demonstrated to be superior to conventional rehabilitation.