Exploring Motor Recovery Differences in Paretic Upper and Lower Extremity after Stroke: A Cross-sectional Study
Correspondence Address :
Dr. Rathinasabapathy Sampath Pulimoot,
Lecturer, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Government Cuddalore Medical College (RMMCH), Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.
E-mail: sampulimoot@gmail.com
Introduction: Stroke globally cause permanent disability, often impairing upper and lower limb function. Poststroke rehabilitation focuses on enhancing functional outcomes, but limb recovery differs and has various contributing factors. Understanding these differences and their clinical and demographic relationships helps develop comprehensive or individualised rehabilitation plans for better outcomes.
Aim: To compare the motor recovery of paretic upper and lower extremities in poststroke patients and analyse their relationship with demographic and clinical factors.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Physiotherapy, Government Medical College and Hospital, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 41 stroke participants were recruited through purposive sampling. The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scale was used to evaluate both Upper Limb (FMA-UL) and Lower Limb (FMA-LL) motor recovery. Statistical tools such as t-tests and Chi-square tests were used for data analysis.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 52.15±13.51 years, with a mean stroke duration of 21.17±16.96 months. Most participants were males (63.41%) with right-sided involvement (75.6%), and the most common subtype was ischaemic stroke (78%). The mean FMA-LL score was 23.88±5.13 (70.2%), which was significantly higher than the FMA-UL mean score of 28.07±11.13 (42.5%), indicating better motor recovery in the lower extremity. Most patients had moderate to severe strokes, with 14.6% experiencing very severe impairment. Gender differences were statistically significant for lower-limb recovery (p-value =0.024), with males showing a mean score of 24.73±5.59, indicating greater recovery. Differences in stroke type were also statistically significant for lower-limb recovery (p-value <0.001), with ischaemic stroke patients having a mean score of 25.50±3.90, demonstrating greater improvements. No significant relationship was observed between age and duration of stroke with recovery patterns.
Conclusion: Lower extremity demonstrated better motor recovery than upper extremity in poststroke patients. Ischaemic and male stroke subjects showed better lower extremity recovery than haemorrhagic and female stroke survivors respectively. The results indicate the implications for customised therapeutic plans in poststroke rehabilitation.
Cerebral haemorrhage, Gender factors, Hemiplegia, Ischaemic stroke, Treatment outcome
DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2025/75309.20431
Date of Submission: Sep 05, 2024
Date of Peer Review: Oct 08, 2024
Date of Acceptance: Nov 30, 2024
Date of Publishing: Jan 01, 2025
AUTHOR DECLARATION:
• Financial or Other Competing Interests: None
• Was Ethics Committee Approval obtained for this study? Yes
• Was informed consent obtained from the subjects involved in the study? Yes
• For any images presented appropriate consent has been obtained from the subjects. NA
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ETYMOLOGY: Author Origin
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