Abstract
Liang C-C, Hsieh T-C, Lin C-H, Wei Y-C, Hsiao J, Chen J-C. Effectiveness of thermal
stimulation for the moderately to severely paretic leg after stroke: serial changes
at one-year follow-up.
Objective
To evaluate the serial changes of long-term effects of thermal stimulation (TS) on
acute stroke patients.
Design
A prospective study with follow-up at 3, 6, and 12 months after TS to assess motor
and balance function of the paretic leg of acute stroke patients.
Setting
A general hospital rehabilitation department.
Participants
Poststroke patients (N=30) with moderate to severe impairment of leg function.
Interventions
In addition to receiving standard rehabilitation, eligible patients were randomly
assigned to a TS group (5 thermal stimulations per week for 6wk) or a control group
(3 consultations per week for 6wk).
Main Outcome Measures
Fugl-Meyer lower extremity score, Medical Research Council Scale for the Lower Extremity,
Berg Balance Scale, Modified Motor Assessment Scale, Functional Ambulation Classification,
and Barthel Index were administered at baseline, after 4 and 6 weeks of treatment,
and at the 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.
Results
No significant differences were found between the 2 groups at baseline. After TS,
the Fugl-Meyer lower extremity score, Medical Research Council Scale for the Lower
Extremity, Modified Motor Assessment Scale, and Functional Ambulation Classification
were significantly better in the TS group, and the effects persisted for 3 months
(P<.05). Significant differences were found between the 2 groups for the Berg Balance
Scale and Barthel Index only at the 3-month follow-up (P<.05). However, all the effects except for the Fugl-Meyer lower extremity score had
disappeared at the 6-month follow-up (P>.05).
Conclusions
The long-term benefits of TS for patients with acute stroke may be sustained for 3
months but disappear by the 6-month and 1-year follow-up.
Key Words
List of Abbreviations:
BBS (Berg Balance Scale), BI (Barthel Index), FAC (Functional Ambulation Classification), FMA-LE (Fugl-Meyer Assessment for the Lower Extremity), GEE (generalized estimating equation), MMAS (Modified Motor Assessment Scale), MRC-LE (Medical Research Council Scale for the Lower Extremity), TS (thermal stimulation)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 03, 2012
Footnotes
Supported by the Tzu Chi General Hospital through grant TCRD 100-38 Research Plan.
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
In-press corrected proof published online on Aug 14, 2012, at www.archives-pmr.org.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
