A Study to assess the effect of Task Specific Training with Trunk Restraint on Arm Recovery in Stroke Patients Writer Hutoxi1, Nayak Neelam K.2 1Professor and H.O.D, Physiotherapy, T.N. Medical college and B.Y.L.Nair Hospital, Mumbai 2PT, MPTh, T.N. Medical College and B.Y.L.Nair Hospital, Mumbai Online published on 15 January, 2013. Abstract Background The study was carried out to assess the effect of task specific training with trunk restraint and without trunk restraint on arm recovery in stroke patients. Subjects 30 stroke patients were included in the study. Method Thirty individuals participated after signing ethics-committee approved consent forms. Subjects were randomly divided in two groups - either a physical trunk restraint (TR) or a control group (C). Along with neurological evaluation of the patients, the performance of the upper limb was characterized using a battery of standardized clinical tests. They included the Fugl-Meyer test and the TEMPA test, which are two primary clinical outcomes characterizing the effectiveness of the training programme. In the experimental group,(TR) the trunk was secured to the chair back with a stabilising belt, minimising shoulder girdle movements and preventing trunk flexion/rotation. In control group,(C)the trunk was not restrained. Task-specific training which included manipulation and dexterity tasks, simple active exercises to elicit muscle activity, bimanual practice, brief stretching were given to both the groups. Results Significant improvements were found in total score of Fugl-Meyr Scale and TEMPA and ROM of elbow extension in experimental group (TR) as compared to the control group Conclusion Trunk restraint may be effective in uncovering latent movement patterns to maximize arm recovery in hemiparetic patients. Restriction of compensatory trunk movements may encourage recovery of premorbid movement patterns leading to better functional outcomes. Top Keywords Task-Specific Training, Trunk Restraint, Degrees of Freedom (DOFs). Top |