The Results of Targeted Training in the Rehabilitation of Patients with a Combination of Motor and Speech Disorders

AIM. To evaluate the effectiveness of using a rehabilitation glove in patients with central paresis of the arm and motor aphasia due to ischemic stroke, and also to study the rate of motor production in the upper limb in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We examined 49 patients with hemiparesis and motor aphasia in the early recovery period of ischemic stroke in the left middle cerebral artery. Depending on the fact of conducting training with the use of a rehabilitation glove, patients were randomly distributed into two groups (1, where this training option was implemented, and 2 — without it), comparable in the severity of motor and speech disorders. Within each of them, patients were additionally divided into subgroups, depending on the degree of paresis in the distal part of the affected upper limb: L-mild (in group 1L — 18 people, 2L — 16) and U-moderate (in group 1U — 8, and 2U — 7 patients). On days 1 and 10 of training, all patients underwent functional testing. Treatment and rehabilitation were carried out according to the order of care. Patients of groups 1L and 1U additionally received a course of 10 sessions, including 2 exercises of 15 minutes each for a paretic arm 5 times a week. RESULTS. Patients of groups 1L and 1U demonstrated statistically significant improvements in the Medical Research Committee Scale, the ARAT Arm Motor Activity Test, the Wasserman Speech Impairment Rating Scale, and the Montreal Cognitive Function Rating Scale. According to amplitude indicators, there was a tendency towards their increase in all groups. A decrease in the number of errors and an increase in the percentage of correct task completion accompanied the development of a motor act. They stabilized in patients with mild paresis of the hand by 5–6 sessions and in patients with moderate paresis by 6–7 sessions. CONCLUSION. In patients with mild to moderate paresis of the right hand in combination with motor aphasia in the early recovery period of ischemic stroke, when using a rehabilitation glove, there was an improvement in the strength and motor activity of the paretic hand, cognitive functions and speech. Stabilization of task performance indicators should be taken into account when determining the duration of training and timely correction of the motor rehabilitation program.