The Effects of Bilateral Arm Training on Motor Control and Functional Performance in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Relative to CI, BAT improved the spatiotemporal control of the affected arm in both bilateral and unilateral tasks, decreased online corrections to perform bilateral tasks, and reduced motor impairment. These findings support the use of BAT to improve motor control and motor function of the affected upper limb in stroke patients.

Psychometric comparisons of the Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 and Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale

“…BAT, an alternative treatment approach receiving growing attention [5,21], uses the repetitive practice of symmetrical bilateral tasks to improve the motor ability of the affected limb. Numerous studies in stroke patients have shown evidence of efficacy of CIT [5,22] and BAT [5,23], but there is no consensus concerning the optimal outcome measure for assessing the health function of patients after stroke rehabilitation. There is a need for research that directly compares the responsiveness and validity of the SIS and the SS-QOL.…”

Current trends in stroke rehabilitation. A review with focus on brain plasticity

“…Bilateral arm training (BAT) may be of value particular for stroke patients with severe functional deficits (44). In a randomized controlled trial 6-67 months after stroke onset, BAT improved the spatiotemporal control of the affected arm in both bilateral and unilateral tasks and reduced motor impairment (45). Comparing CIMT, BAT, and a control intervention of equally intense but less specific therapy for 2 hours a day 5 days a week for 3 weeks, both CIMT and bilateral arm training resulted in better performance than the control intervention.…”

Bilateral Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Improves Lower‐Limb Motor Function in Subjects With Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The notion of Bi‐TENS was inspired by the success of bilateral motor training,15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and positive findings26 have also been reported with bilateral leg training after stroke. In addition, training of the nonparetic limb has also been reported to enhance motor recovery in paretic limbs 15, 47…”