Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the influence of a stable trunk and the affected upper limb (dominant or non-dominant) on the parameters of the wrist and hand motor coordination, grip strength and muscle tension in patients in the subacute post-stroke stage compared to healthy subjects. DESIGN: An observational study. SETTING: Stroke Rehabilitation Department. SUBJECTS: Thirty-four subjects after ischemic cerebral stroke and control group-32 subjects without neurological deficits, age and body mass/ height matched were included. MAIN MEASURES: The tone of the multifidus, transverse abdominal and supraspinatus muscles were assessed by Luna EMG device. A HandTutor device were used to measure motor coordination parameters (e.g., range of movement, frequency of movement), and a manual dynamometer for measuring the strength of a hand grip. Subjects were examined in two positions: sitting without back support (non-stabilized) and lying with stabilization of the trunk and the upper limb. RESULTS: Passive stabilization of the trunk and the upper extremity caused a significant improvement in motor coordination of the fingers (p ˂ 0.001) and the wrist (p < 0.001) in patients after stroke. Improved motor coordination of the upper extremity was associated with an increased tone of the supraspinatus muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Passive stabilization of the trunk and the upper limb improved the hand and wrist coordination in patients following a stroke. Placing patients in a supine position with the stability of the affected upper limb during rehabilitation exercises may help them to access latent movement patterns lost due to neurological impairment after a stroke.