title: Effect of Trunk Support on Upper Extremity Function in People With Chronic Stroke and People Who Are Healthy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trunk control is thought to contribute to upper extremity (UE) function. However, this common assumption in neurorehabilitation has not been validated in clinical trials.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study objectives were to investigate the effect of providing external trunk support on trunk control and UE function and to examine the relationship between trunk control and UE function in people with chronic stroke and people who were healthy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five people with chronic stroke and 34 people who were healthy and matched for age and sex were recruited. Trunk control was assessed with the Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS), and UE impairment and UE function were assessed with the UE subsection of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) and the Streamlined Wolf Motor Function Test (SWMFT), respectively. The TIS and SWMFT were evaluated, with and without external trunk support; the FMA-UE was evaluated without trunk support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With trunk support, people with stroke showed improvement from 18 to 20 points on the TIS, a reduction in SWMFT performance times from 37.20 seconds to 35.37 seconds for the affected UE, and improvement from 3.3 points to 3.4 points on the SWMFT Functional Ability Scale for the function of the affected UE. With trunk support, the SWMFT performance time for people who were healthy was reduced from 1.61 seconds to 1.48 seconds for the dominant UE and from 1.71 seconds to 1.59 seconds for the nondominant UE. A significant moderate correlation was found between the TIS and the FMA-UE (r=.53) for people with stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The limitations included a nonmasked assessor and a standardized height of the external trunk support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  External trunk support improved trunk control in people with chronic stroke and had a statistically significant effect on UE function in both people with chronic stroke and people who were healthy. The findings suggest an association between trunk control and the UE when external trunk support was provided and support the hypothesis that lower trunk and lumbar stabilization provided by external support enables an improvement in the ability to use the UE for functional activities.
authors.affiliation: S.K. Wee, PT, Rehabilitation and Health Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Bldg 45, Highfield Campus Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom SO17 1BJ, and Rehabilitation Centre, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. skw1g12@soton.ac.uk seng_kwee_wee@ttsh.com.sg.
authors.forename: Seng Kwee
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.affiliation: A-M. Hughes, PhD, Rehabilitation and Health Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Ann-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hughes
authors.affiliation: M.B. Warner, PhD, Rehabilitation and Health Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Martin B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Warner
authors.affiliation: S. Brown, BSc(Hons), Rehabilitation and Health Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: A. Cranny, PhD, Electronics and Computer Science, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cranny
authors.affiliation: E.B. Mazomenos, PhD, Electronics and Computer Science, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Evangelos B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Mazomenos
authors.affiliation: J.H. Burridge, PhD, Rehabilitation and Health Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton.
authors.forename: Jane H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Burridge
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D020127:Recovery of Function; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*