Association of Lower-Limb Muscle Strength Asymmetry and Functional Factors in Patients with Stroke

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background: Hemiparesis not only affects the affected side but also exerts an impact on the unaffected side. Stroke patients endure muscular weakness attributable to hemiparesis, resulting in asymmetry of muscular strength between the paralyzed and non-paralyzed sides.
Objectives: To investigate the correlation between lower limb muscle strength asymmetry and functional factors in patients with stroke.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Methods: A total of 58 stroke patients participated in this study. After measuring the muscle strength of both lower limbs using manual muscle testing, the asymmetry was calculated. Functional factors such as berg balance scale (BBS), timed up and go (TUG), 10-metre walk (10MW), and modified barthel index (MBI) were measured.
Results: The BBS showed positive correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The TUG showed negative correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The 10MW showed negative correlations with hip, knee, and ankle strength asymmetry (P<.05). The MBI showed positive correlations only with hip strength asymmetry (P<.05).
Conclusion: We were found that there is a more pronounced lower limb muscle strength asymmetry in the lower extremity of stroke patients, which is associated with BBS, TUG, and 10MW.