Effects of Trunk Restraint Combined With Intensive Task Practice on Poststroke Upper Extremity Reach and Function: A Pilot Study

Autor: Lorie Richards, Claudia R. Senesac, Steve A. Kautz, Theresa E. McGuirk, Michelle L. Woodbury, Dena R. Howland, Sandra B. Davis
Rok vydání: 2008
Předmět:
Zdroj: Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 23:78-91
ISSN: 1552-6844
1545-9683
DOI: 10.1177/1545968308318836
Popis: Background. Poststroke reaching is characterized by excessive trunk motion and abnormal shoulder—elbow coordination. Little attention is typically given to arm—trunk kinematics during task practice. Preventing compensatory trunk motion during short-term practice immediately improves kinematics, but effects of longer-term practice are unknown. Objective. This study compared the effects of intensive task practice with and without trunk restraint on poststroke reaching kinematics and function. Methods. A total of 11 individuals with chronic stroke, baseline Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment scores 26 to 54, were randomized to 2 constraint-therapy intervention groups. All participants wore a mitt on the unaffected hand for 90% of waking hours over 14 days and participated in 10 days/6 hours/day of supervised progressive task practice. During supervised sessions, one group trained with a trunk restraint (preventing anterior trunk motion) and one group did not. Tasks for the trunk-restraint group were located to afford repeated use of a shoulder flexion—elbow extension reaching pattern. Outcome measures included kinematics of unrestrained targeted reaching and tests of functional arm ability. Results. Posttraining, the trunk-restraint group demonstrated straighter reach trajectories ( P = .000) and less trunk displacement ( P = .001). The trunk-restraint group gained shoulder flexion ( P = .006) and elbow extension ( P = .022) voluntary ranges of motion, the nonrestraint group did not. Posttraining angle—angle plots illustrated that individuals from the trunk-restraint group transitioned from elbow flexion to elbow extension during mid-reach; individuals in the nonrestraint group retained pretraining movement strategies. Both groups gained functional arm ability ( P < .05 all tests). Conclusion. Intensive task practice structured to prevent compensatory trunk movements and promote shoulder flexion—elbow extension coordination may reinforce development of “normal” reaching kinematics.
Databáze: OpenAIRE