Effect of Forward Reaching With a Modified Sitting Position on Muscle Contraction in the Paretic Lower Extremity of Individuals in the Early Sub-Acute Phase of Stroke: A Randomized Control Trial

 No clue how this gets you recovered, so go ask your competent? doctor. If your doctor doesn't know of this research; you don't have a functioning stroke doctor and is totally not invested in improving their stroke knowledge. RUN AWAY!

Effect of Forward Reaching With a Modified Sitting Position on Muscle Contraction in the Paretic Lower Extremity of Individuals in the Early Sub-Acute Phase of Stroke: A Randomized Control Trial

Tluway B. Nuwagi • Sivakumar Ramachandran • C.M Radhika

Published: August 16, 2024

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.66998 

  Peer-Reviewed

Cite this article as: Nuwagi T B, Ramachandran S, Radhika C (August 16, 2024) Effect of Forward Reaching With a Modified Sitting Position on Muscle Contraction in the Paretic Lower Extremity of Individuals in the Early Sub-Acute Phase of Stroke: A Randomized Control Trial. Cureus 16(8): e66998. doi:10.7759/cureus.66998

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Abstract

Introduction

Forward reaching in sitting has been shown to facilitate muscle contraction in the paretic lower limb of stroke survivors. Change in the sitting surface has been shown to alter the contribution of lower extremity muscles to maintain postural control. This study investigated the effect of forward reaching in a modified sitting position on the paretic lower extremity muscles of patients with stroke.

Methods

First-time cerebral stroke survivors in their early sub-acute phase were randomly allocated to the experimental or control group. The experimental group engaged in training sessions focusing on reaching a target while seated with only the paretic foot placed on a support, whereas the control group performed the same task with both feet supported on the surface. Each group completed three sets of 10 repetitions of forward reaching for eight days as a part of the training. Quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscle activity in the paretic leg were measured using surface electromyography before the first and after the last session of intervention. Statistical analysis was conducted using parametric tests with a significance level set at p < 0.05.

Results

Sixty-three subjects completed the study, with 31 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group. The results of the post-intervention analysis indicated a statistically significant increase in the EMG activity of the tibialis anterior and quadriceps muscle surfaces in both groups (p < 0.001). Notably, the experimental group exhibited significantly higher muscle activity in both quadriceps and tibialis anterior compared to the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Forward reaching with only the paretic lower limb grounded effectively improves quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscle recruitment in the early sub-acute phase of stroke.