Abstract
This study investigated the effects of cognitive exercise therapy on upper extremity sensorimotor function and daily activity in patients with chronic stroke and compared these effects to those of conventional occupational therapy. The 30 patients with chronic stroke (mean age: 63.6 ± 12.7 years; height: 162.8 ± 8.1 cm; weight: 60.6 ± 7.6 kg; body mass index: 22.8 ± 1.9 kg/m2) were divided into two treatment groups with 15 patients in each. The respective interventions were provided for 30 min per day, five times weekly for 4 weeks. Manual and sensory function tests were conducted to evaluate the sensorimotor function, while the Korean-Modified Barthel Index was used to assess daily activities. All outcome variables were assessed before and after the interventions. A significant interaction was observed in sensory function (p = 0.001) but not motor function or daily activities (p > 0.05). No significant main group effects were found for any outcome variables (p > 0.05). The experimental group showed significant improvements in motor function (p < 0.001), sensory function (p < 0.001), and daily life activities (p = 0.001) after cognitive exercise therapy, whereas the control group showed significant improvement only in daily life activities post-intervention (p = 0.012). These results demonstrated the positive effects of cognitive exercise therapy on upper extremity sensorimotor function and daily life activities and the lack of improvement in motor and sensory function following conventional occupational therapy in patients with chronic stroke. Thus, the combination of cognitive exercise and conventional occupational therapies may be an effective way to improve sensory function and upper extremity motor function in patients with chronic stroke.
Highlights
A stroke, a sudden impairment of body function caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, has the third-highest mortality rate after cancer and heart disease [1,2]
Activities of daily living (ADL) and motor function of the upper extremity improved after cognitive exercise therapy through contact tasks using a sponge on the paralyzed arm and spatial tasks using a graphic panel in patients with acute stroke
Comparisons of homogeneity between the control and experimental groups before their respective interventions showed no significant differences in manual function test (MFT), sensory function test (SFT), and Korean version of the modified Bathel index (K-MBI) at baseline (p > 0.05)
Summary
A stroke, a sudden impairment of body function caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, has the third-highest mortality rate after cancer and heart disease [1,2]. Activities of daily living (ADL) and motor function of the upper extremity improved after cognitive exercise therapy through contact tasks using a sponge on the paralyzed arm and spatial tasks using a graphic panel in patients with acute stroke. While various assessments have been conducted on upper extremity functions and daily activities, changes in cognitive patterns and pathological characteristics were described rather than used to directly assess sensory function recovery, which is a key factor in cognitive exercise therapy. While this approach is suitable for a single case study or qualitative research with a small number of subjects, it is difficult to quantify the objective results. We hypothesized that cognitive exercise therapy would improve upper extremity motor and sensory function and daily activities compared to conventional occupational therapy
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