A new study shows 75% of stroke patients with no hand function at baseline improved use of their affected hand during self-care tasks following SaeboGlove treatment combined with electrical stimulation.

A study published earlier this month provides evidence that the SaeboGlove combined with electrical stimulation can improve upper extremity function in subacute stroke patients with little to no hand movement.

The purpose of the study, published in Disability and Rehabilitation, was to “investigate the usability and effectiveness of a functional hand orthosis, combined with electrical stimulation adjunct to therapy-as-usual, on functional use of the moderately/severely impaired hand in sub-acute stroke patients.” The experiment involved testing eight subacute stroke patients over the course of six weeks. The patients were treated with the SaeboGlove – a low-profile, dynamic hand orthosis – and electrical stimulation four days per week, for 45 minutes per day.

Researchers Johan Anton Franck, Rob Johannes Elise Marie Smeets, and Henk Alexander Maria Seelen found that the patients’ hand and arm function had “improved significantly” following treatment with the SaeboGlove and e-stim. Additionally, the patients experienced a boost in intrinsic motivation as they were able to use their previously nonfunctional hands to perform daily activities. “Combining the orthosis with electrical stimulation creates opportunities for a nonfunctional hand towards task-oriented training,” the study concludes.

This research provides new hope for patients experiencing little to no hand function after stroke: recovery is possible.

“The newly published research by Franck and colleagues is one more example of what we have seen for years,” explains Saebo co-founder, Henry Hoffman. “Stroke patients demonstrating no movement in their affected hand can still recover with the appropriate therapy intervention. The combination of electrical stimulation and the SaeboGlove or SaeboFlex will allow clients to not only gain the much-needed strength in their grip, but also allow for cortical plasticity and upper limb function to occur.”

Hoffman continues, “Through the use of these technologies, clients that exhibit no hand function can immediately obtain functional use very early on. Like the results of this recent study, many clients can go on to make meaningful hand recovery and may no longer require the assistance of these devices long term.”