Assessment of Home-based Physical Therapy in Stroke Patients

Introduction: Stroke is one of the most serious health problems of the modern society. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of 6-month home-based rehabilitation in stroke patients. Material and Methods: The study included 37 patients (35% were women and 65% were men) after ischaemic stroke. Study patients received 6-month home-based physical therapy in Kielce County (Gmina Chęciny and Gmina Łopuszno). The study used the Barthel Index, the Timed Up and Go Test and the Modified Rankin Scale. Physical therapy included kinesiotherapy methods (such as active and assisted exercises), physiotherapy methods (electrotherapy, laser therapy) and special methods (PNF and kinesiotaping). Results: The study showed significant differences in the results between the pre- and post-rehabilitation assessments. Before rehabilitation, the majority of study patients (22 people, 60%) scored between 21 and 85 points according to the Barthel Index, which suggests moderately severe disability. After rehabilitation, this number was reduced to 20 patients (54%). With respect to the Timed Up and Go Test, most study patients (25 people, 68%) both before and after rehabilitation needed 10 to 19 seconds to perform the test, indicating limited functional mobility. The degree of disability according to the Modified Rankin Scale was 4 in 23 study patients (62%) before rehabilitation and in 27 study patients (73%) after rehabilitation. A total of 8 study patients (22%) before rehabilitation had very severe disability with a result of 5 according to the Modified Rankin Scale; only 3 study patients (0.1%) did not show any improvement after rehabilitation. Conclusions: 1. Home-based physiotherapy performed over a period of 6 months had a very beneficial influence on increasing independence in stroke patients. 2. A significant gait quality improvement was seen in stroke patients. 3. The degree of disability in study patients was considerably reduced.