The role of early intervention with upper limb rehabilitation robots in upper limb functional reconstruction and improving sarcopenia-related indicators in stroke patients

Stroke causes muscle atrophy and functional decline, affecting quality of life. Exercise training reduces post-stroke muscle loss. This study explores if rehabilitation robots enhance upper-limb function and muscle mass in stroke patients. We selected 80 patients who visited the North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital from June 2024 to April 2025 for a randomized controlled trial. After excluding missing values, the patients were divided into two groups: the control group (n = 38) and the intervention group (n = 39). The control group received 4 weeks of conventional rehabilitation therapy, while the intervention group underwent upper-limb robot-assisted training in addition to the conventional therapy. The primary outcomes comprised the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) score, handgrip strength (HG), and the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI). After 4 weeks of treatment, significant differences were observed in the FMA-UE scores, HG, and ASMI between the two groups (P < 0.05). The intervention group showed superior outcomes compared to the control group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05). This study provides evidence that robot-assisted training improves upper-limb motor function and enhances sarcopenia-related indicators-specifically muscle mass and muscle strength-in acute stroke patients.