Effect of the Perceptive Exploration Approach on Upper Extremity Movement Disorder in Patients with Acute Stroke Hemiparesis: Case Series Study

抄録

Introduction: The perceptive exploration approach is a therapy for upper extremity movement disorders in patients with acute stroke hemiparesis. It facilitates the organization of actions in terms of perceptual information exploration and motor control, and may help develop the functional use of the upper extremities. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the perceptive exploration approach is effective in improving upper extremity movement disorders in patients with acute stroke hemiparesis.

Methods: I used pretest-posttest data to examine the therapeutic effects of the perceptive exploration approach in eight hemiparesis patients. In addition to a standard occupational therapy program, the therapy included a tailored perceptive exploration activity based on the assessment of patient-specific upper extremity function. I examined three main outcome measurements: Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), and amount of use (AOU) and quality of movement (QOM) in the motor activity log (MAL).

Results: Outcome data measured before and after therapy showed improvement in all patients. FMA scores for motor function (p = 0.01, Δ = 0.55) and sensory function (p = 0.02, Δ = 0.59) assessment were significantly improved, and the effect size was moderate. AOU (p = 0.01, Δ = 0.81) and QOM (p = 0.01, Δ = 0.80) in the MAL were also significantly improved, and the effect size showed a large change.

Conclusion: The present results suggest that the perceptive exploration approach may be useful for the recovery of upper extremity movement in patients with acute stroke hemiparesis.