In stroke patients with hemiplegia, we evaluated the correlation between muscle mass on the non-paralysis side and ADL during the convalescent stage, and clarified the importance of muscle mass in maintaining ADL. The subjects consisted of 24 male stroke patients with hemiplegia in the convalescent stage. Muscle mass was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), ADL was evaluated using the Barthel Index (BI), and the correlation between these two datasets was analyzed. As a result, a positive correlation (correlation coefficient, 0.428-0.458) was observed between muscle mass in the upper limb on the non-paralysis side and the BI scores for toileting and urination control. Moreover, a positive correlation (correlation coefficient, 0.432-0.740) was also observed between muscle mass in the lower limb on the non-paralysis side and the BI scores for eating, grooming, toileting, defecation control, and urination control. The higher ADL scores in the presence of greater muscle mass in the lower limb on the non-paralysis side showed that there was an especially clear correlation in lower limbs. These findings suggested the importance of maintaining muscle mass in the lower limb on the nonparalysis side and the necessity for actively promoting activities using the lower limbs.
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