Facilitation of motor and balance recovery by thermal intervention for the paretic lower limb of acute stroke: a single-blind randomized clinical trial

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of thermal stimulation accompanied by either active or passive movement added to standard rehabilitation in facilitating motor and balance function of the paretic leg of acute stroke. Design: Pilot, observer-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Depart...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical rehabilitation 2011-09, Vol.25 (9), p.823-832
Main Authors: Chen, Jia-Ching, Lin, Chun-Hsiang, Wei, Yu-Chun, Hsiao, Jung, Liang, Chung-Chao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assessment
Buddhism
Classification
Clinical trials
Cold Temperature
Female
Gait Disorders, Neurologic - rehabilitation
Hospitals
Hot Temperature
Humans
Intervention
Leg - physiopathology
Lower limbs
Male
Medical research
Medicine
Middle Aged
Paresis - rehabilitation
Patients
Physical Stimulation - methods
Pilot Projects
Postural Balance - physiology
Recovery of Function - physiology
Rehabilitation
Sensation Disorders - etiology
Sensation Disorders - rehabilitation
Stimulation
Stroke
Stroke - complications
Stroke Rehabilitation
Strokes
Therapists
Therapy
Thermosensing - physiology
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Summary:Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of thermal stimulation accompanied by either active or passive movement added to standard rehabilitation in facilitating motor and balance function of the paretic leg of acute stroke. Design: Pilot, observer-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Setting: Department of rehabilitation medicine in a general hospital. Subjects: Thirty-six patients were enrolled within four weeks of the onset of a stroke causing moderate to severe leg paresis (Brunnstrom stage ≤III). Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to thermal (standard rehabilitation plus approximately 30–40 minutes of thermal stimulation therapy daily for six weeks) and control (standard rehabilitation only) groups. Main measures: Fugl–Meyer lower extremity score, Medical Research Council scale for lower extremity, Modified Motor Assessment Scale, Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients Trunk Control, Berg Balance Scale, Functional Ambulation Classification and Modified Ashworth Scale. Results: Patients in the thermal group experienced significantly better median scores for Fugl–Meyer lower extremity (14.0; interquartile range, 10.5–15.5), Medical Research Council scale for lower extremity (6.0; 4.0–7.0), Modified Motor Assessment Scale (16.0; 12.5–18.5), Berg Balance Scale (28.0; 20.5–33.5), and Functional Ambulation Classification (2.0; 2.0–2.0) (all P 
ISSN:0269-2155
1477-0873
DOI:10.1177/0269215511399591