Task-Specific Training with Trunk Restraint: Its Effect on Reaching Movement Kinematics in Stroke Patients
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- Category: Vol. 82, September 2014
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Task-Specific Training with Trunk Restraint: Its Effect on Reaching Movement Kinematics in Stroke Patients, SALAH A. SAWAN, HUSSEIN A. SHAKER, EBTESAM M. FAHMY and NAGWA I. REHAB
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Hemiparesis is common fol-lowing stroke. The ability to reach and grasp is a necessary component of many daily life functional tasks, hence reduced upper limb function has an impact on the ability to perform activities of daily living. In hemiparetic patients, the unre-stricted and unguided repetition of a motor task may reinforce compensatory movements. Trunk restraint allowed the patients to use joint ranges that were present but not recruited during unrestrained reaching. This study aimed to compare the effect of specific-task training with and without trunk restraint on post-stroke reaching kinematics.
Patients and Methods: Thirty male chronic stroke patients with age ranged between 40-55 years were included in this study. Patients were divided into two equal group (Group I and Group II). The first group (Group I) received reach to grasp training during which compensatory movement of the trunk was prevented by trunk restraint. The second group (Group II) practiced the same task without trunk restraint. Kinematics of reaching and grasping an object placed within arm’s length were recorded before and after training using two-dimensional analysis.
Results: Trunk-restraint group showed a statistically very highly significant decrease in trunk displacement (p=0.0001) and increase in elbow extension voluntary range of motion (ROM) (p=0.0001) post treatment while group II showed significant increase in trunk displacement (p=0.02) and highly significant decrease in elbow extension ROM (p=0.007) post treatment. Also, there was very highly significant decrease in trunk displacement (p=0.0001) and increase in elbow extension ROM (p=0.0002) in the trunk-restraint group as compared to the second group without trunk-restraint post treatment.
Conclusion: Task-specific training with trunk restraint can be suggested as an effective method in improving reaching kinematics and arm movement quality in patients with impaired arm function post stroke.