1000 Section - Bilateral Upper-Extremity Hybrid Assistive Limb Treatment for GNE Myopathy

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

NS

Naoki Suzuki, MD

Associate Professor/ MD, PhD
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Co-Author/Coautor(s)

MM

Midori Miyagi, MD, PhD

Lecturer
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
TM

Takahiro Miura, MD, PhD

Lecturer
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
ST

Shun Takanaka, OT

OT
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
SY

Shunta Yokouchi, OT

OT
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
KA

Kouta Ataka, OT

OT
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
OH

Oya Hiromitsu, MD

MD
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
CN

Chihiro Nakazawa, MD

MD
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
KO

Keisuke Obata, MD

MD
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
TO

Tatsuma Okazaki, MD, PhD

Associate Professor
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
MA

Masashi Aoki, MD, PhD

Professor
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan
SE

Satoru Ebihara, MD, PhD

Professor
Tohoku University
Sendai, Miyagi, Japan

Case Diagnosis: GNE myopathy is a progressive distal myopathy typically manifested in late teens to thirties. We described the effects of bilateral upper-extremity hybrid assistive limb (HAL) rehabilitation in patients with GNE myopathy.

Case Description: We described a case series of 6 patients with GNE myopathy. Among them, five patients underwent bilateral upper-extremity HAL rehabilitation during a two-week hospitalization. The rehabilitation program consisted of elbow flexion-extension exercises with gradually adjusted assistance levels. HAL rehabilitation resulted in significant improvements in upper extremity strength scores (p=0.0311), and overall upper limb motor function assessed by STEF (p=0.0014). No significant changes in CK levels were observed, indicating that the exercise intensity did not cause muscle damage.

Discussions: Patients reported functional improvements including increased ability to perform daily activities requiring elbow flexion.

Conclusions:

While further research is needed to assess long-term effects and underlying mechanisms, these findings suggest potential benefits of HAL rehabilitation for neuromuscular diseases with upper-limb weakness.