Challenges Experienced by Physiotherapists in Rehabilitation of Individuals With Poststroke Hemineglect: A Review Study

Abstract Background: Hemineglect is the inability to sense stimuli given on the paretic side. It is most frequently seen in individuals with left hemiplegia resulting from temporoparietal lobe damage. On the basis of duration poststroke, hemineglect can be acute (<3 months) or chronic (>6 months). The patients experience many challenges in rehabilitation of motor function, cognitive function, and in gaining functional independence. Aim: To identify the challenges faced by physiotherapists in rehabilitation of individuals with poststroke hemineglect. Methodology: Data Identification: An English language literature search using Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Pedro was done. Study Selection: Articles were identified and those which fulfilled the specific requirements were selected. Data Extraction: In accordance with the inclusion criteria, 9 studies done between 1997 and 2017 were reviewed. Results: In this study, we reviewed a number of studies on the treatment of hemineglect which show a variety of treatment options. The various interventions include robotic mirror therapy, repeated parietal theta-burst stimulation, low-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation, trunk rotation and scanning training, forced use therapy, prism glass adaptation, movement detection bracelets, each of which have different effects. Conclusion: There are a limited number of studies on the different treatment methods that are currently available. Further research is needed on these treatment methods to prove their efficacy and find a suitable method to overcome the challenges that the patients with hemineglect face at present.