Hand impairment post-stroke is a very common and important rehabilitation goal for functional independence. Advanced therapy options such as an app. therapy provides repetitive training, which may be beneficial for improving fine motor function. This study aims to evaluate the effect of app-based therapy compared to conventional hand therapy in improving dexterity in individuals with stroke.
In total, 39 individuals within the first year of stroke with Brunnstrom stage of hand recovery IV to VI were randomly divided into three groups. All three groups received 60 min of therapy for 21 sessions over a period of 30 days. Group A received conventional hand therapy; Group B received app. therapy, while Group C received conventional therapy along with the app. therapy. All participants were assessed on the Nine-Hole Peg Test and Jebsen–Taylor Hand Function Test at the beginning and after completion of 21 sessions of intervention. Kruskal–Wallis (H) test and Wilcoxon test were used for statistical analysis.
All three groups improved on hand function post-treatment. However, Group C demonstrated significant improvement with 16%–58% increase in hand function performance on outcome measures (p < 0.05).
Findings of the present study demonstrate improvement in dexterity with the app. therapy and combination therapy, in comparison to conventional therapy alone in individuals with stroke.
This experimental study focuses the first time on a structured protocol using an enabling technology adjunct to conventional physical therapy to improve hand function in individuals with stroke, which opens up the further scope in Neurorehabilitation.
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2020-0144/
