"Every patient who comes to us with a stroke, whether they suffer weakness on one side or even loss of speech, has one major concern – what kind of limitations will I have? Will I be able to walk, dress myself? Can I go back to work? What will my life be like? And the answers are in the field of Neuro-Rehabilitation," says Randolph Marshall MD, Director of Stroke Division at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center.

On May 26th at 7:00pm Eastern Time NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital will present an ORLive webcast featuring Robotic Stroke Therapy. "Robots provide both consistency and the ability to increase the amount of physical therapy we provide. They even help keep patients more engaged in therapy through the use of interactive games that standard methods don't provide. But the most interesting and encouraging sign in our research is that they may stimulate neuroplasticity in the brain, facilitating recovery of motor abilities," according to Joel Stein, MD, Physiatrist-in-Chief and Director, Rehabilitation Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

The robots being used for this research are the Reo Go, the Myomo e100 Neuro Robotic System and InMotion 2 Shoulder-Elbow and Wrist Robots. All three devices provide exercise therapy to different parts of the arm. Using varying amounts of assistance and resistance over constantly repeated exercises and games, many patients experience slow but steady restoration of limb use.