• PNF and Movement
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.175-180
• /
• 2015

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of mirror-neuron-system-based action observation physical training on improvements in upper extremity functions and daily living activities in chronic stroke patients. Methods: Ten chronic stroke patients were randomly selected. As a therapeutic intervention, along with conventional occupational therapy, the patients engaged in action observation physical training through repeated imitation practices after they viewed a video. The therapeutic intervention was implemented for 20 minutes, three times each week for eight weeks. A Manual Function Test (MFT) was conducted to compare upper extremity functions before and after the therapeutic intervention, and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) was used to compare the ability to perform daily living activities. Results: Significant improvements in upper extremity motor functions and the ability to perform daily living activities were shown after the intervention. The subjects' left upper extremity motor functions and ability to perform daily living activities showed significant improvement after the intervention. Conclusion: The study's results indicate that action observation physical training based on the mirror neuron system improves chronic stroke patients' upper extremity motor functions and their ability to perform daily living activities. Therefore, action observation training has positive effects on the functional recovery of chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.69-76
• /
• 2019

Purpose : This study examined the effects of a virtual reality rehabilitation program on stroke patients' upper extremity functions and activities of daily living (ADL). Methods : The subjects were equally and randomly divided into an experimental group (n=16) to whom a virtual reality rehabilitation program was applied and a control group (n=16) who received traditional occupational therapy. The intervention was applied five times per week, 30 minutes per each time, for six weeks. Jebsen-Taylor hand function test was conducted and the subjects' Manual Function Test was measured to examine their upper extremity functions before and after the treatment intervention, and a Korean version of modified Barthel index was calculated to look at their activities of daily living. Results : After the intervention, the upper extremity functions and activities of daily living of the participants in both groups significantly improved (p<.05). However, the improvements in these parameters among the participants in the virtual reality rehabilitation program were significantly greater than those in the control group (p>.05). Conclusion : The virtual reality rehabilitation program is a stable and reliable intervention method for enhancing the upper limb functions and activities of daily living of stroke patients.

• International Journal of Contents
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.65-70
• /
• 2013

The purpose in the present study was to examine the effects of weight-bearing exercises on stroke patients' ability to perform upper extremity activities. Experiments were conducted with 24 female stroke patients who were randomly assigned to either a control group (CG) that performed general exercise or an experimental group that performed weight-bearing exercise (WBG). The experiments were conducted for 30 minutes per time, three times per week for six weeks. The upper extremity functions, grasping power, and the ability to manipulate the fingers were measured for both groups before the experiments and again six weeks after the beginning of the experiments. Although the scores for upper extremity functions relating to raising the arms that correspond to proximal upper extremity functions increased in both groups, the WBG showed more significant improvement. The WBG showed significant changes in grasping power compared to the CG. Based on these results, weight-bearing exercise can be effective in improving the ability to perform upper extremity movements and grasping power and thus can be used in stroke rehabilitation.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.169-174
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to resolve, in an efficient manner, the mechanoreceptor problems of the part far from the paretic upper extremity in stroke patients, as well as to provide clinical basic data of an intervention program for efficient neurodynamic in stroke patients, by developing a rhythmic neurodynamic exercise program and verifying functional changes depending on the increase in the upper extremity nerve conduction velocity. Methods: Samples were extracted from 18 patients with hemiplegia, caused by stroke, and were randomly assigned to either the experimental group I for the general upper extremity neurodynamic (n=9) and the experimental group II for rhythmic upper extremity neurodynamic (n=9). An intervention program was applied ten times per set (three sets one time) and four times a week for two weeks (once a day). As a pre-test, changes in the upper extremity nerve conduction velocity and functions were assessed, and two weeks later, a post-test was conducted to re-measure them in the same manner. Results: The wrist and palm sections of the radial nerve and the wrist and elbow sections of the median nerve, as well as the wrist, lower elbow, upper elbow, and axilla sections of the ulnar nerve had significant differences with respect to the upper extremity nerve conduction velocity between the two groups (p<0.05)(p<0.01), and significant differences were also found in the upper extremity functions (p<0.05). Conclusion: Rhythmic neurodynamic accelerated the nerve conduction velocity more in broader neural sections than the general neurodynamic. In conclusion, rhythmic neurodynamic was proven to be effective for improving the functions of upper extremity.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.29-39
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the upper limb nerve mobilization (ULNM) on functional recovery of upper extremity in hemiplegic patients following stroke. Twenty patients who had functional impairment on upper extremity were participated. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups: Control group (n=10) received traditional physical therapy only for 4 weeks; Experimental group (n=10) received ULNM treatment along with traditional physical therapy for the same period. Upper extremity functions were assessed by manual muscle test (MMT), modified Ashworth scale (MAS), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) before and after the treatment. In both experimental and control group, upper extremity functions were significantly improved in MMT (p<.01) and FMA (p<.01), however only experimental group showed significant improvement in FMA after the treatment (p<.05). Moreover, experimental group showed significantly greater improvement than control group in MMT (p<.05), MAS (p<.05), and FMA (p<.05). We conclude that the upper extremity functions is a useful additional therapeutic technique for the effective treatment of upper extremity deficits in hemiplegic patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
• /
• v.11 no.4
• /
• pp.105-114
• /
• 2023

Purpose : This study systematically reviewed occupational therapy programs for upper extremity functions in subacute patients implemented over the last decade at home and abroad to utilize the findings as the basis for intervention protocols. Methods : This study was conducted with domestic and foreign randomized controlled experimental studies published from January 2013 to May 2023. Acute or subacute, CVA or stroke, upper extremity function, and program or therapy were used as search keywords in the search databases Scopus, PubMed, Riss, and DBpia. A total of 3,723 documents were retrieved, and 1,007 duplicate papers were excluded. In addition, 2,640 papers that did not meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria were excluded by the researcher examining the titles and abstracts. Thereafter, the full texts were checked. Consequently, 67 documents were excluded, and nine documents were finally used for analysis. Results : Due to the evaluation of the quality of the documents of nine studies, five items were rated "low," and two items were rated "unclear" in many studies. Males predominated the genders, and infarction predominated the types. The average age was over 50 but under 60 years, and the number of days after onset was predominantly fewer than one month. Occupational therapy programs were classified into mental programs, mirror therapy, music programs, and virtual reality programs, and virtual reality programs were frequently used. The intervention periods were predominantly 15-30 sessions for less than 30 minutes, and the Fugl-Meyer assessment-upper extremity was predominantly applied as an evaluation tool. Conclusion : This study is significant because it attempted to present the direction of intervention protocols for upper extremity functions in subacute stroke patients in clinical settings. Studies should be conducted with an expanded scope for a literature review.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
• /
• v.14 no.4
• /
• pp.115-123
• /
• 2019

PURPOSE: This study compared the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination-Korean version (MMSE-K) and Korean version Montreal Cognitive Assessment (K-MOCA), which assess cognitive function, the Fugl- Meyer Upper-Extremity Assessment (FMA), which assess the upper extremity function; and Modified Barthel Index (MBI), which that assesses activities of daily living among patients receiving inpatient treatment following a diagnosis of stroke to determine the correlations among MMSE-K, K-MOCA, FMA, and MBI. METHODS: The study assessed the cognitive function using the MMSE-K and K-MOCA, upper extremity function using FMA, and activities of daily living using MBI. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: An analysis of the differences in the MMSE-K, K-MOCA, MBI, and FMA scores according to the affected side, revealed differences in the, K-MOCA scores according to the affected side, where patients with right hemiplegia showed better cognitive function (p <.05). Correlation analysis among MMSE-K, K-MOCA, FMA, and MBI Showed significant correlations (p <.05). The results indicate that those with higher cognitive and upper extremity functions had higher performance of activities of daily living. CONCLUSION: The cognitive and upper extremity functions were correlated with the activities of daily living in stroke patients. Accordingly, applying physical therapy with a focus on improving the cognitive function and training activities of daily living could assist in the functional recovery of stroke patients significantly.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
• /
• v.13 no.7
• /
• pp.445-452
• /
• 2015

This study examined the effects of task-oriented occupational therapy without action observation training and action observation on hemiplegic patients' upper extremity functions and activities of daily living. The stroke patients were randomly and equally assigned to an experimental group (action observation) and a control group (task-oriented occupational therapy). They received the intervention five times per week, 30 minutes per each time, for five weeks. In order to look at upper extremity functions of the paretic side before and after the intervention, Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT) and Box and Bock Test (BBT) were conducted and in order to compare activities of daily living, Korean-Version of Modified Barthel index (K-MBI) was examined. According to the results, upper extremity functions and activities of daily living in both groups increased and there was no difference between the two groups. Therefore, action observation and task-oriented occupational therapy had positive effects on stroke patients' upper extremity functions and activities of daily living.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.270-279
• /
• 2007

Purpose: In this study, the effects of meridian massage and hand massage on the affected upper extremity of patients with a stroke were identified. Method: A nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design was used. Participants were 84 (Experimental. 1: 28, Experimental. 2: 28, Control.: 28) patients with a stroke who were hospitalized in K oriental medical center. Experimental treatment for patients in experimental group 1 was the meridian massage for 10 minutes daily for 2 weeks, and for those in experimental group 2, hand massage for 2 minutes, 30 seconds each, daily for 2 weeks. Outcome variables were upper extremity function (grip power, shoulder pain, edema, ROM), ADL, and depression. Data were analyzed using SPSS PC+ version. Results: The score for upper extremity functions and ADL were significantly higher in experimental group 1 who had meridian massage than for experimental group 2 or the control group. Experimental group 1 showed less depression than experimental 2 or the control group. Conclusion: Meridian massage can be an effective nursing intervention to improve upper extremity function and ADL, and to decrease depression in patients stroke who have had a stroke.

• PNF and Movement
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.155-162
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The current study (case report) seeks to examine the effects of a proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) exercise program on the upper extremity function and activities of daily living (ADLs) in a stroke patient. Methods: The subject was a 42 year-old woman diagnosed with right-sided hemiplegia due to stroke. Exercise therapy was provided for 50 minutes per day (5-minute warm-up, 40-minute exercise, 5-minute wrap-up) three times per week for a four-week period. The manual function test (MFT) was used to evaluate upper extremity functions. The modified Barthel index (MBI) was utilized to measure ADL. Results: After intervention using various PNF program, the MFT score increased from 23 to 26 and the MBI score increased from 62 to 66. Conclusion: After the application of the PNF program, the MFT and MBI scores increased. As compensative movement of the upper extremities declined, the movement of the upper extremities became faster and softer.