Is trunk training effective at improving ability in activities of daily living and function of people who have had a stroke? ACochrane Review summary with commentary.

Abstract

Effective trunk control is an essential component of sitting and standing balance, and is a key requirement for movement of the head and limbs, and for carrying out functional tasks. A stroke can result in impaired trunk control, affected by stroke-related deficits in balance, muscle function, coordination and position sense. Recovery of trunk control is recognised as a key goal of stroke rehabilitation. To evaluate the effectiveness of trunk training interventions in people with stroke. A summary of the Cochrane Review by Thijs et al. (2023), with comments from a rehabilitation perspective. 68 studies (2585 participants) were included in the Cochrane review. Trunk training was not found to have any benefit on measures of ADL, when compared to other dose-matched therapies, but did improve trunk function and other outcomes. Trunk training was more beneficial than non-dose-matched therapies for measures of ADL, trunk function, and other outcomes. The certainty of these findings is very low. Evidence supports the use of trunk training as part of stroke rehabilitation. However certainty in these findings is very low due to volume, quality and heterogeneity of the evidence.