title: Determining Levels of Upper Extremity Movement Impairment by Applying a Cluster Analysis to the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity in Chronic Stroke.
abstract: To quantitatively determine levels of upper extremity movement impairment by using a cluster analysis of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE) with and without reflex items.
  
  
  
  Secondary analysis.
  
  
  
  University and research centers.
  
  
  
  Individuals (N=247) with chronic stroke (>6mo poststroke).
  
  
  
  Not applicable.
  
  
  
  Cutoff scores defined by FMA-UE total scores of clusters identified by 2 hierarchical cluster analyses performed on the full sample of FMA-UE individual item scores (with and without reflexes). Patterns of motor function defined by aggregate item scores of clusters.
  
  
  
  FMA-UE scores ranged from 2 to 63 (mean, 26.9±15.7) with reflex items and from 0 to 57 (mean, 22.1±15.3) without reflex items. Three clusters were identified. The distributions of the FMA-UE scores revealed considerable overlap between the clusters; therefore, 4 distinct stroke impairment levels were derived.
  
  
  
  For chronic stroke, the cluster analysis of the FMA-UE supports either a 3- or a 4-impairment level classification scheme.
authors: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Elizabeth J
authors: EJ
authors: Woytowicz
authors: Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence, Baltimore Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Jeremy C
authors: JC
authors: Rietschel
authors: Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence, Baltimore Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Ronald N
authors: RN
authors: Goodman
authors: Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence, Baltimore Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Susan S
authors: SS
authors: Conroy
authors: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
authors: John D
authors: JD
authors: Sorkin
authors: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; Maryland Exercise and Robotics Center of Excellence, Baltimore Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD; Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom. Electronic address: jwhitall@som.umaryland.edu.
authors: Jill
authors: J
authors: Whitall
authors: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD.
authors: Sandy
authors: S
authors: McCombe Waller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000592:standards*; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D034941:Upper Extremity / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Cluster analysis; Rehabilitation; Stroke; Upper extremity