The aim of this work is to verify the possibility to use Pablo® Tyromotion device for the evaluation and rehabilitation of the upper limb of the person with quadriplegia.

Nine patients with quadriplegia, lesion level C4-C8, were included in the study. The protocol considered a T0 and T1 evaluation of the upper limb and the hand with the Pablo® device and the Grasp and Release Test modified (GRT mod) and Tetraplegic Functional Test (TFT) scales. At the T1, after 8 rehabilitative sessions performed with Pablo®, a second evaluation was performed with the same items of the first one. The Physical Therapy Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire mod (PTPSQ-1 mod) was also administered to evaluate the patients’ appreciation of the use of this kind of device to improve the rehabilitation program.

Seven of 9 subjects completed the study protocol. The correlation values were positive for all the grasps and very high especially for the palmar grasp and the termino-terminal pinch. A high statistical significance turns out for all the grasps. The correlation values for the palmar grasp and the termino-terminal pinch in the group with the functional hand set up were negative.

The correlation values obtained indicate that the variables force (Pablo®), number of grasps performed (GRT mod) and functional abilities (TFT) were correlated and if one increases, the others increase too according to the calculated values. On the basis of the PTPSQ-1 data the Pablo® device seems to be appreciated by the patients for what concerns acceptance and pleasantness in use. Pablo® can be considered an evaluative tool complementary to a scale like the GRT mod in subjects that do not take advantage of the functional hand for the grasps.