This study was conducted to investigate the effects of upper limb closed kinetic chain exercise with biofeedback on proprioceptive sensation, muscle strength, stability, and function in stroke patients. The study included 24 stroke patients, with 11 i...
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of upper limb closed kinetic chain exercise with biofeedback on proprioceptive sensation, muscle strength, stability, and function in stroke patients. The study included 24 stroke patients, with 11 in the upper limb closed kinetic chain exercise group with biofeedback and 13 in the control group. The upper limb closed kinetic chain exercise with biofeedback group performed movements in which weight was applied to the upper limb in a posture-dependent manner. A laser pointer installed on the affected shoulder was worn using a shoulder-mounted strap, and the laser pointer, illuminated on a target plate placed between both arms, was moved in multiple directions away from the center. The control group underwent conventional physical therapy. All subjects underwent a total of 20 training sessions, 30 minutes each, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Before and after the experiment, thumb localization test, Medical Research Council Score (MRC), Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test, and Fugl-Meyer Assessment were measured. As a result, the experimental group showed significant improvement in the MRC and closed chain upper extremity stability test compared to the control group(p<0.05). The experimental group also showed significant improvement in the thumb localization test and Fugl-Meyer assessment(p<0.05), while the control group did not show significant differences. Therefore, biofeedback enhances proprioception and improves muscle re-education, and repetitive upper limb closed kinetic chain exercise with biofeedback can be considered as a training method in clinical practice for patients with decreased proprioceptive sensation, muscle strength, stability, and upper limb function.