Further research required since this only is for moderately
impaired chronic stroke survivors. Did your stroke hospital implement this from 13 years ago or was their rehab already so successful they didn't need anything newer?
2009, Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
Abstract
Background.
Upper extremity hemiparesis is the most common poststroke disability.
Longitudinal studies have indicated that 30% to 66% of stroke survivors
do not have full arm function 6 months poststroke. One promising
treatment approach is bilateral training. To date, no randomized,
blinded study of efficacy comparing 2 groups (bilateral training vs
unilateral training) using analogous tasks has been performed in chronic
stroke survivors with moderate upper extremity impairment.
Objective.
To compare the effectiveness of bilateral training with unilateral
training for individuals with moderate upper limb hemiparesis. The
authors hypothesized that bilateral training would be superior to
unilateral training in the proximal extremity but not the distal one.
Methods.
Twenty-four subjects participated in a randomized, single-blind
training study. Subjects in the bilateral group (n = 12) practiced
bilateral symmetrical activities, whereas the unilateral group (n = 12)
performed the same activity with the affected arm only. The activities
consisted of reaching-based tasks that were both rhythmic and discrete.
The Motor Assessment Scale (MAS), Motor Status Scale (MSS), and muscle
strength were used as outcome measures. Assessments were administered at
baseline and posttraining by a rater blinded to group assignment.
Results.
Both groups had significant improvements on the MSS and measures of
strength. The bilateral group had significantly greater improvement on
the Upper Arm Function scale (a subscale of the MAS-Upper Limb Items).
Conclusion.
Both bilateral and unilateral training are efficacious for moderately
impaired chronic stroke survivors. Bilateral training may be more
advantageous for proximal arm function.
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