Prediction of functional outcomes in stroke patients: the role of motor patterns according to limb synergies.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

To address the relationships among motor patterns evaluated according to the limb synergies and functional outcomes in stroke patients and clarify which motor pattern was the most important predictor of functional outcomes.

METHODS

The study was conducted on 208 patients with primary diagnosis of stroke admitted for in-hospital rehabilitation. At entry, the Fugl-Meyer Scale was administered to assess motor function according to limb synergies. Pearson's correlation was used to assess the relationship between variables, and backward stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the outcome determinants. Final functional independence measure (FIM) scores and length of in-hospital stay were the outcome measures.

RESULTS

At the end of rehabilitation, motor-FIM scores of patients with extensor and flexor synergies, mixing synergies, and no dependence from the synergies were higher than those of no movements and flexor synergy. Multivariate regression analysis showed that extensor synergy of upper limb was an independent predictor of final motor-FIM, personal care and mobility, extensor synergy of lower limb of locomotion, while mixing synergies of upper limb was an independent predictor of length of in-hospital stay.

CONCLUSIONS

In stroke rehabilitation, the patients' motor patterns according to the synergies strongly relate with functional outcomes and are important outcome predictors.