Effect of Arm Ability Training on Functional Mobility and Dexterity in Hemiparetic Subjects

Abstract Objective  Hemiparesis occurs when a stroke causes paresis on the body, contralateral to the lesioned brain. In poststroke patients, upper limb impairments induce functional restrictions. Arm ability training is a unilateral treatment for mild arm paresis. We evaluated the effectiveness of arm ability training on functional mobility and dexterity in hemiparetic subjects Materials and Methods  Forty-two hemiparetic subjects were selected by convenient sampling technique. The subjects were given 40 minutes of arm ability training and 20 minutes of conventional physiotherapy daily, five sessions a week extending for 4 weeks. Functional mobility was assessed through wolf motor function test (WMFT) and dexterity by box and block test (BBT). Results  The pre- and post-test scores were evaluated by paired t -test using SPSS software after 4 weeks of training period subjects showed much improvement for the BBT (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 20.31 ± 4.075 vs. 23.79 ± 4.291), functional ability of WMFT (mean ± SD: 45.38 ± 3.615 vs. 54.07 ± 3.790), time of WMFT (mean ± SD: 479.29 ± 117.79 vs. 434.4 ± 116.455), the strength of WMFT was (mean ± SD: 2.95 ± 0.731 vs. 3.9 ± 0.759), and grip strength of WMFT (mean ± SD: 2.9 ± 1.559 vs. 4.21 ± 1.539), all variables indicating statistical significance ( p  < 0.05). Conclusion  Arm ability training proved effective in improving functional mobility and dexterity in hemiparetic subjects.