Recent studies have shown that completing bilateral simultaneous movements during upper extremity practice may result in facilitation of coactivation and interhemispheric activation of both the ipsilesional and contralesional brain areas, with one limb entraining the other and enabling the limbs to function as a unit. Other research has proposed that the use of virtual-reality (VR) activities during treatment sessions can improve upper extremity function following stroke as it is motivating, challenging, offers external feedback that may facilitate motor learning, and allows for the "high-intensity, repetitious practice necessary to drive recovery". Coupling bilateral simultaneous upper extremity movement and virtual-reality activities is the Bimanual Arm Trainer (BAT), a non-powered mechanical device by which the non-paretic upper extremity moves the paretic arm. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the Bimanual Arm Trainer (BAT) compared to traditional occupational therapy treatment sessions as these relate to upper extremity functional return following stroke, as measured by scores on the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UE-FMA) measures. The investigators plan to use retrospective data for a pre-implementation group, comparing this data to prospectively collected post-implementation data. ARAT scores are routinely collected and will be used for comparison between groups. UE-FMA measures are commonly used in this area of research, and will be taken to provide additional context for the post-implementation group.
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Change in Action Research Arm Test score
Timeframe: Within 72 hours of admission and up to 72 hours of discharge for all participants