A proposal of a hand-bath method for post-stroke hemiplegic hand improvement

Abstract

Post-stroke hemiplegic hand recovery is extremely difficult. After a stroke, a three-month period of spontaneous recovery was regarded as the time window for hand recovery (hereinafter the phenomenon is called plateau), and training of the affected hand was discontinued after the plateau.

In such circumstances, the WHO acknowledged the effectiveness of acupuncture for post-stroke hemiplegia, and the WHO Standard (“Standard Acupuncture Point Locations”) was released.

In nursing, hand-baths have been provided as a method of hygiene care throughout the ages.

The aim of this study was to develop a new hand-bath method for post-stroke hemiplegic hand improvement, using the “WHO Standard”. We incorporated acupressure washing, using twelve acupoints from elbow to fingertips, along with stretching reported to be effective for contracture improvement.

The participants were three chronic stroke patients with hemiplegic hand, and the hand-bath was conducted for 6 consecutive days for each patient. As a result, the grip motion of two patients improved, and their systolic and diastolic blood pressures after the hand-bath significantly decreased. The third patient did not show any improvement after the hand-baths.

Results suggest our hand-bath is effective in improving post-stroke hemiplegic hand function beyond the plateau. Hand-baths are low-cost and easily integrated with other effective therapies. However, our study was small in scale and further trials are required to confirm these results.