Preliminary study of the effect of low-intensity home-based physical therapy in chronic stroke patients

This study was a preliminary examination of the effect of low-intensity home-based physical therapy on the performance of activities of daily living (ADL) and motor function in patients more than 1 year after stroke. Twenty patients were recruited from a community stroke register in Nan-Tou County, Taiwan, to a randomized, crossover trial comparing intervention by a physical therapist immediately after entry into the trial (Group I) or after a delay of 10 weeks (Group II). The intervention consisted of home-based physical therapy once a week for 10 weeks. The Barthel Index (BI) and Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM) were used as standard measures for ADL and motor function. At the first follow-up assessment at 11 weeks, Group I showed greater improvement in lower limb motor function than Group II. At the second follow-up assessment at 22 weeks, Group II showed improvement while Group I had declined. At 22 weeks, the motor function of upper limbs, mobility, and ADL performance in Group II had improved slightly more than in Group I, but the between-group differences were not significant. It appears that low-intensity home-based physical therapy can improve lower limb motor function in chronic stroke survivors. Further studies will be needed to confirm these findings.