Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, No. 291 Zhongzheng Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City, 235, Taiwan.
Master Program in Long-Term Care, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 27;11(1):11161. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-90602-y.
Hemiplegic shoulder pain and impairment are common poststroke outcomes, for which arm slings constitute long-used treatments. Although multiple studies have suggested association between gait pattern and sling application, results have varied. Accordingly, we conducted this meta-analysis to determine how arm sling use affects the gait and balance of patients with poststroke hemiplegia. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched until April 21, 2021, for randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials evaluating the effect of arm slings on gait or balance in patients with poststroke hemiplegia. The primary outcome was walking speed; the secondary outcomes were functional balance tests or walking evaluation parameters for which sufficient analytical data were available in three or more studies. Nine studies with a total of 235 patients were included, all of which were within-patient comparisons. Six studies reported significant between-group differences in walking speed with and without the use of arm slings. Patients wearing arm slings had higher walking speed (standardized mean difference = - 0.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = - 0.55 to - 0.07, P = 0.01, n = 159; weighted mean difference = - 0.06, 95% CI - 0.10 to - 0.02, P = 0.001, n = 159). Our findings suggest that arm sling use improves gait performance, particularly walking speed, in patients with poststroke hemiplegia.
偏瘫后肩痛和功能障碍是常见的后遗症，臂吊带是长期使用的治疗方法。尽管多项研究表明步态模式与吊带应用之间存在关联，但结果却有所不同。因此，我们进行了这项荟萃分析，以确定臂吊带的使用如何影响偏瘫后患者的步态和平衡。我们检索了 PubMed、Embase 和 Cochrane Library 数据库，直到 2021 年 4 月 21 日，以评估臂吊带对偏瘫后患者步态或平衡影响的随机或准随机对照试验。主要结果是行走速度；次要结果是功能平衡测试或行走评估参数，其中有 3 项或更多研究提供了足够的分析数据。共有 9 项研究，总计 235 名患者，均为患者内比较。6 项研究报告了使用和不使用臂吊带时步行速度的组间差异有统计学意义。佩戴臂吊带的患者步行速度更快（标准化均数差 = - 0.31，95%置信区间 = - 0.55 至 - 0.07，P = 0.01，n = 159；加权均数差 = - 0.06，95%置信区间 - 0.10 至 - 0.02，P = 0.001，n = 159）。我们的研究结果表明，臂吊带的使用可以改善偏瘫后患者的步态表现，特别是行走速度。
