Increasing upper-limb joint range of motion in post-stroke hemiplegic patients by daily hair-brushing

Background: Post-stroke hemiplegic patients of chronic phase often have troubles with their activities of daily life, because of the decrease in upper-limb joint range of motion and the pain of shoulder. Aim: To use a hair-brushing movement intervention with the assistance of a nurse as therapy for increasing the upper-limb joint range of motion in the acute phase in patients with hemiplegia following their first stroke. Method: This study analysed a control group and an intervention group of 26 patients each. The first measurements were made 1–2 days after stroke onset and again on the sixth day from the first measurements. The intervention comprised hair-brushing movements made by patients with the assistance of a nurse. Six joint movement angles were measured on the affected and unaffected sides. Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group showed a significantly increased (p=0.002) passive joint range of motion in shoulder abduction and external rotation movements on the affected s...