Effect of movement-based priming combined with task specific training on upper limb recovery in patients after stroke

Abstract

Background: Rehabilitation of upper limb impairments and functional deficits is a top goal in stroke rehabilitation. Alternative therapeutic methods may be developed to facilitate upper limb recovery. Priming prepares the brain for better action. When some therapies accompany Priming, it results in a change in behaviour at the performance level by improving the effect of Neuro-Rehabilitation Therapies and enhancing change in the neural process. Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of movement-based priming combined with task-specific training on upper limb recovery in patients after stroke. Materials and methods: Twenty-four subjects in the early phase of stroke, attending the Department of Neurology in a tertiary care hospital of Bhubaneswar, Odisha participated in a single-blind randomized controlled trial. 24 subjects after stroke were recruited to the study and randomly allocated to a control group receiving task-specific training only (TST) and an experimental group receiving Movement-Based Priming with task-specific training (MBP+TST). The control group received only task-specific training for 45 minutes per session three days a week for six weeks, while the experimental group received 15 minutes of priming and 30 minutes of task-specific training. Fugl-Mayer Assessment of upper extremity (FMA-UE)was used to measure upper extremity motor recovery, and the Motor Activity Log (MAL) was used to measure the use of arm and hand during activities of daily living at baseline and after six weeks of therapy. Results: Both the TST group and the MBP+TST group had significantly improved their capacity to move and use their upper limbs functionally (p<0.001). FMA-UE and MAL scores improved more favorably in the MBP+TST group than in the TST group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Priming in combination with task-specific training results in better upper limb recovery than task-specific training alone.