Evaluating the effectiveness of the upper limb rehabilitation programme in patients after ischemic stroke, supplemented with virtual reality exercises comprising biological feedback – report from conducted research

• Main Author: Michał P. Wieczorek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Univeristy of Physical Education in Krakow 2020-01-01
• Series: Rehabilitacja Medyczna
• Subjects: stroke; virtual reality; feedback
• Online Access: https://rehmed.pl/resources/html/article/details?id=207139

Introduction: Stroke is the second most common cause of death in the world. Modern methods of treating the acute phase of stroke improve a patient’s functionality, but only 5-10% of patients receive such treatment. Approximately 44-75% of people after stroke do not achieve a satisfactory level of fitness. Traditional methods do not provide a satisfactory improvement in upper limb function. Modern therapy conducted in conditions of virtual reality (VR) may cause changes in the complexity of the exercise, its duration and its intensity, which strengthens the processes of brain plasticity. Aim of the research: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the rehabilitation programme implemented among patients after ischemic stroke supplemented with VR exercises and to compare results with the control group. Materials and methods: The study included 28 participants qualified for the study and assigned to 2 groups. There were 15 subjects in the study group, the average age 62.80 ±6.12 years, while in the control group, there were 13 patients at an average age of 64.8 5 ±6.71 years. In addition to the traditional upper limb therapy, the study group exercised using the Pablo® system, while the control group received 2 sessions of traditional therapy. Before and after the intervention, the participants underwent Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment, the Frenchay Arm Test and Lovette’s test. Ranges of mobility in the glenohumeral, radiocarpal and cubital joints were measured. Cylindrical, pinch, lateral and tripod grip force was measured. Results: After the intervention, there was an intragroup increase in results, both in the study group and in the control group, the increases in many cases turned out to be statistically significant. However, there were no statistically significant differences in comparisons between groups after the applied therapy. Conclusions: VR therapy improves upper limb efficiency in people after ischemic stroke, however, comparison of the results between groups after interventions do not provide information as to which therapy is more beneficial.