PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the effects of robot-assisted therapy on the upper extremity in acute and subacute stroke patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The papers retrieved were evaluated based on the following inclusion criteria: (1) design: randomized controlled trials; (2) population: stroke patients (3) intervention: robot-assisted therapy; and (4) year of publication: May 2012 to April 2016. Databased searched were: Embase, PubMed and Cochrane databases. The Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. RESULTS: Of the 637 articles searched, six studies were included in this systematic review. The PEDro scores range from 7 to 9 points. CONCLUSION: This review confirmed that the robot-assisted therapy with three-dimensional movement and a high degree of freedom had positive effects on the recovery of upper extremity motor function in patients with early-stage stroke. We think that the robot-assisted therapy could be used to improve upper extremity function for early stage stroke patients in clinical setting.

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