Immediate effect of elastic trunk orthosis on trunk positioning sense and balance in post-stroke individuals

Abstract

Purpose: Stroke; causing sensory, perception, motor loss, affects balance, postural stability and mobility. Position sense of trunk and its stability are important in terms of limb functions. Various methods are used in physiotherapy and rehabilitation, including orthotic devices to increase trunk control. This study aimed to investigate the immediate effect of elastic trunk orthosis on trunk repositioning sense and balance in post-stroke individuals. Methods: A total of 56, 28 with stroke and 28 age matched healthy individuals, were included into study. Repositioning sense and balance were evaluated with and without a trunk orthosis, using the HUMAC NORM isokinetic device, Trunk Impairment Scale, Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients, and Functional Reach Tests. Results: There was no significant difference within and between groups on trunk repositioning sense with and without corset use (p˃0.05). Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients scores did not show significant change (p˃0.05). There was a significant difference in favour of corset use in both study and control groups in functional reach test (p=0.013 and p<0.001 respectively). Study group showed significant change with and without corset scores in Trunk Impairment Scale (p=0.003). Mean differences on Functional Reach Test and Trunk Repositioning Test showed no significant difference in both groups (p˃0.05). Conclusion: The use of trunk orthosis has an immediate effect in some functional tests, but not in terms of repositioning sense were concluded. We propose to examine the factors affecting the repositioning sense in individuals with stroke and to investigate the effectiveness of new physiotherapy applications accordingly.