| Summary: | Introduction: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and prolonged severe disability in the elderly population. Recovery of patients after stroke hemiparesis is a long process that requires long-term medical care and rehabilitation to reduce the effects of neurological damage and motor deficits and to increase functional activity and achieve independence in performing activities of daily living. In practice, conventional methods of rehabilitation (active and passive therapeutic exercises, techniques for neuromuscular reeducation and occupational therapy) are increasingly combined with assistive technology devices. The purpose of this review report is to investigate the potential effectiveness of assistive technology devices and their benefit for more effective recovery of patients with post-stroke hemiparesis. Materials and methods: We conducted a review of available scientific literature at Pubmed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, which included randomized trials, prospective controlled trials, reports, guidelines for rehabilitation of patients after stroke. Results and discussion: Our review of the scientific literature showed evidence of the benefits of the inclusion of assistive technology devices in the rehabilitation of post-stroke hemiparesis. We found data indicating improvement in the upper and lower limb function, increased postural stability and benefits for gait, and as well as improvement of the recovery process. Conclusion: The medical use and combination of new assistive technology devices with conventional techniques for the recovery of post-stroke hemiparesis may be a potentially effective strategy for rehabilitation of patients after stroke, but research should continue to provide conclusive evidence of the benefits and effectiveness of these devices.
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