Effect of a Therapeutic Intervention for the Hemiplegic Upper Limb in the Acute Phase After Stroke A Single-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Multicenter Trial

Background and Purpose—Arm function recovery is notoriously poor in stroke patients. The effect of treatment modalities, particularly those directed at improving upper limb function, has been studied primarily in chronic stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a specific therapeutic intervention on arm function in the acute phase after stroke. Methods—In a single-blind, randomized, controlled multicenter trial, 100consecutive patients were allocated to either an experimental group that received an additional treatment of sensorimotor stimulation or to a control group. The intervention was applied for 6 weeks. Patients were evaluated for level of impairment (Brunnstrom-Fugl-Meyer test) and disability (Action Research Arm test, Barthel Index) before, midway, and after the intervention period and at follow-up 6 and 12 months after stroke. Results—Patients in the experimental group performed better on the Brunnstrom-Fugl-Meyer test than those in the control group througho...