Robotic-assisted training after stroke: RATULS advances science

The Robot Assisted Training for the Upper Limb after Stroke (RATULS) trial by Helen Rodgers and colleagues1 in The Lancet is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest study (n=770) in the field of robot-assisted arm training for people with stroke. Recruiting from four UK sites, this pragmatic, three-arm, randomised controlled trial compared robot-assisted training, enhanced upper limb training (EULT; matched in dose and frequency to robot-assisted training), and lower-dose usual care. The population for this study was 770 individuals aged at least 18 years (mean age 61 years [SD 14]; 468 [61%] men) with first-ever stroke (1 week to 5 years before enrolment) with moderate to severe upper limb impairment.