Background: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effectiveness of robot-assisted therapy with that of conventional occupational therapy according to the onset and severity of stroke. Methods: In this multicenter randomized controlled trial, stroke patients were randomized (1:1) to receive robot-assisted therapy or conventional occupational therapy. The robot-assisted training group received 30 min of robot-assisted therapy twice and 30 min of conventional occupational therapy daily, while the conventional therapy group received 90 min of occupational therapy. Therapy was conducted 5 days/week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome was the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) score after 4 and 8 weeks of therapy. Results: Overall, 113 and 115 patients received robot-assisted and conventional therapy, respectively. The WMFT score after robot-assisted therapy was not significantly better than that after conventional therapy, but there were significant improvements in the Motricity Index (trunk) and the Fugl–Meyer Assessment. After robot-assisted therapy, wrist strength significantly improved in the subacute or moderate-severity group of stroke patients. Conclusions: Robot-assisted therapy improved the upper-limb functions and activities of daily living (ADL) performance as much as conventional occupational therapy. In particular, it showed signs of more therapeutic effectiveness in the subacute stage or moderate-severity group.

Objective To investigate the effects of customized biomechanical foot orthosis (BFO) on kinematic data during gait in patients with hallux valgus (HV) deformities and compare the results with those of a normal control group.Methods Ten patients with HV deformities and 10 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. HV deformity was diagnosed using biomechanical and radiological assessments by a rehabilitation physician. Patients received the customized BFO manufactured at a commercial orthosis laboratory (Biomechanics, Goyang, South Korea) according to the strictly defined procedure by a single experienced technician. The spatiotemporal and kinematic data acquired by the Vicon 3D motion capture system (Oxford Metrics, Oxford, UK) were compared between the intervention groups (control vs. HV without orthosis) and between the HV groups (with vs. without orthosis).Results The temporal-spatial and kinematic parameters of the HV group were significantly different from those of the control group. After applying BFO to the HV group, significantly increased ranges of plantar flexion motion and hindfoot inversion were observed. Furthermore, the HV group with BFO showed improved gait cadence, walking speed, and stride length, although the results were not statistically significant.Conclusion Our results suggest that it is imperative to understand the pathophysiology of HV, and the application of customized BFO can be useful for improving kinematics in HV deformities.

Background: This study aimed to examine the effects of ankle joint stretching exercises on gait function in older adults and to clarify their relationship with balance control. Specifically, the study compared the outcomes of simultaneous stretching of the plantar flexors and ankle inverters with those of stretching the plantar flexors alone. Methods: In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, 40 healthy older adults aged 65 to 75 years (36 women and 4 men; overall mean age, 69.0 ± 2.9 years) were randomized (1:1) to either the experimental group (simultaneous stretching of the plantar flexors and invertors) or the control group (stretching of the plantar flexors only). Each group performed stretching exercises for 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for a total of 15 sessions over 3 weeks. The primary outcome was the Ankle dorsiflexion and eversion range of motion (ROM), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score, Timed Up and Go test (TUG), gait parameter, center of pressure (COP) parameter. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in ankle dorsiflexion ROM, BBS, step cadence, and double support time in gait after the intervention. However, only the experimental group showed significant improvements in ankle eversion ROM, mediolateral COP range, step velocity on both sides, and TUG performance. Between-group comparisons revealed that changes in eversion ROM, mediolateral COP range, and TUG performance were significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group. No significant between-group differences were observed in dorsiflexion ROM, BBS scores, step length, step duration, mean COP velocity, or cadence. Conclusion: Ankle stretching exercises improved balance and gait function in healthy older adults, with greater effects observed from combined stretching of the plantar flexors and invertors. These benefits are likely due to enhanced postural control and increased ankle flexibility.