Post-stroke robotic training of the upper limb in the early rehabilitation phase.

The successful motor rehabilitation of the upper limb of post-stroke patients requires early, intensive and task-specific therapy. The literature, albeit on the basis of a limited number of randomised controlled trials, shows that the use of robotics in upper limb neurorehabilitation has the potential to increase motor and functional recovery with respect to traditional therapy, especially if applied in the acute and sub-acute phases. This paper presents an overview of the literature on early robotic training of the upper limb after acute stroke.