Does Motor Training of the Nonparetic Side Influences Balance and Function in Chronic Stroke? A Pilot RCT

Background . Balance and functional abilities are controlled by both sides of the body. The role of nonparetic side has never been explored for such skills. Objective . The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of a motor therapy program primarily involving the nonparetic side on balance and function in chronic stroke. Method . A randomized controlled, double blinded trial was conducted on 39 poststroke hemiparetic subjects (21, men; mean age, 42 years; mean poststroke duration, 13 months). They were randomly divided into the experimental group(n=20)and control group(n=19). The participants received either motor therapy focusing on the nonparetic side along with the conventional program or conventional program alone for 8 weeks (3 session/week, 60 minutes each). The balance ability was assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Reach Test (FRT) while the functional performance was measured by Barthel Index (BI). Result . After intervention, the experimental group exhibited significant(P<0.05)change on BBS (5.65 versus 2.52) and BI (12.75 versus 2.16) scores in comparison to the control group. Conclusion . The motor therapy program incorporating the nonparetic side along with the affected side was found to be effective in enhancing balance and function in stroke.