The influence of two rehabilitation protocols in upper-limb function of stroke patients

Aims: A significant decrease in upper-limb functionality occurs after stroke. There are two different approaches to the upper-limb rehabilitation of stroke patients: unilateral and bilateral protocols. The main aim of this study was to assess the differences in the functionality of the hemiparetic upper-limb between individuals with chronic hemiparesis submitted to a unilateral protocol and those submitted to a bilateral protocol. Methods: Eight individuals with stroke and chronic hemiparesis were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups (four participants in each group). All participants were observed over a period of six weeks, and were evaluated at four different moments of the intervention protocol using the Fulg-Meyer Assessment Scale (FM) (Fulg-Meyer et al, 1975) and the Purdue Pegboard (PP) (Tiffin, 1948). The statistical procedures included percentage evolution and descriptive analysis for each participant. Findings: The findings suggest that the unilateral protocol provides better results, when compared with the bilateral protocol. Conclusions: This study suggests that unilateral protocols are at least as effective as bilateral protocols for hemiparetic upper-limb rehabilitation.