Effects of sensory cueing on voluntary arm use for patients with chronic stroke: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of a 2-week program of sensory cueing in which vibration induces the use of the paretic upper extremity in participants with chronic stroke in the community.

DESIGN

A single-group longitudinal study.

SETTING

Self-help organizations.

PARTICIPANTS

A convenience sample of 16 community residents (N=16) with chronic unilateral stroke and mild to moderate upper-extremity impairment stratified by the severity of their paretic arm function, measured by using the Functional Test for the Hemiplegic Upper Extremity (FTHUE).

INTERVENTIONS

Participants engaged in repetitive upper-extremity task practice for 2 weeks while wearing an ambulatory sensory cueing device on their affected hand for 3 hours a day.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Evaluations were conducted on the 3 occasions of pretest (1 day before training), posttest (immediately after training), and follow-up test (2 weeks after training) by using the following behavioral measures of paretic upper-extremity performance: the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), the Box and Block Test, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the FTHUE, power and pinch grips, the Motor Activity Log assessment of arm use, and kinematic data obtained from the device.

RESULTS

Significant differences were found in ARAT and FMA scores among the pretest, posttest, and follow-up evaluations. The lower functioning group achieved a more significant increase in overall upper-extremity score than in the hand score for the FMA.

CONCLUSION

A combination of sensory cueing and movement-based strategies is useful and feasible in improving paretic upper-extremity performance in participants with chronic stroke; however, additional studies with a larger sample size and longer treatment period in a randomized controlled trial would be beneficial.