title: Adverse effects of motor-related symptoms on the ipsilateral upper limb according to long-term cane usage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the cane is prescribed to aid in daily living and social participation in stroke patients, this study aimed to identify whether long-term cane usage affected sensorimotor functions in the distal part of the non-affected upper limb in relation to a tracking task, a nine-hole pegboard test, and proprioceptive joint sense.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty stroke patients who were divided into a cane using group (CUG) or a non-cane using group (NCUG) participated in this study. Subjects were evaluated in a tracking task for visuomotor coordination, a nine-hole pegboard test for dexterous hand motion, and a joint reposition test for proprioceptive sense integrity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparison of the CUG and NCUG revealed significant differences in performance of the tracking task, the nine-hole pegboard test, and the joint reposition test (p < 0.05). The CUG had more difficulty performing visuomotor coordination and dexterous hand motion tasks compared with the NCUG. Proprioceptive joint sense was also deteriorated in the CUG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that stroke patients who use a cane for a long period, could experience decreased sensorimotor function in the ipsilateral upper limb of a damaged hemisphere. Therefore, it will be necessary to provide careful evaluation and appropriate therapeutic intervention for stroke patients who require the use of a cane over a long period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Science, Daegu University, Kyeongbuk, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Jung Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Seok Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Na Kyung
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyoung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chung Sun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002183:Canes / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014796:Visual Perception