Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scores Are Related With Kinematic Measures in People with Chronic Hemiparesis after Stroke

Abstract

Background: Stroke often results in motor impairment and limited functional capacity. This study aimed to verify the relationship between widely used clinical scales and instrumented measurements to evaluate poststroke individuals with mild, moderate, and severe motor impairment. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 34 participants with chronic hemiparesis after stroke. Fugl-Meyer Assessment and Modified Ashworth Scale were used to quantify upper and lower limb motor impairment and the resistance to passive movement (i.e., spasticity), respectively. Upper limb Motor performance (movement time and velocities) and movement quality (range of motion, smoothness and trunk displacement) were analyzed during a reaching forward task using an optoelectronic system (instrumented measurement). Lower limb motor performance (gait and functional mobility parameters) was assessed by using an inertial measurement unit system. Findings: Fugl-Meyer Assessment correlated with motor performance (upper and lower limbs) and with movement quality (upper limb). Modified Ashworth scale correlated with movement quality (upper limb). Cutoff values of 9.0 cm in trunk anterior displacement and .57 m/s in gait velocity were estimated to differentiate participants with mild/moderate and severe compromise according to the Fugl-Meyer Assessment. Conclusions: These results suggest that the Fugl-Meyer Assessment can be used to infer about motor performance and movement quality in chronic poststroke individuals with different levels of impairment.