Upper limb rehabilitation in post stroke patients: Clinical observation

A pilot study was conducted in the stroke physiotherapy unit, Department of Rehabilitative Services, Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (PPUKM) to identify the types of post stroke upper limb impairment commonly found in the Malaysian population, to improve services and physical outcome. This was an observational study focused on post stroke patients aged 50 years and above, who are actively participating and receiving physical rehabilitation in stroke physiotherapy unit. We also collected baseline data on stroke type, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, activity of daily living (ADL) and frequency of rehabilitation practice. Our results show a male preponderance (21 of 32 in total). High blood pressure (hypertension) and smoking are the most common CVD risk factors among our stroke patients suffered. Newly enrolled patients undergo training twice a week for the first 12 weeks, followed by weekly training sessions to recovery. An increase in rehabilitation practice frequency has been identified as a potential means to expedite the recovery period. This would require more resources, infrastructure and time allocation for rehabilitative services. Further studies are necessary to validate the hypothesis that increased exercise frequency will result in shorter periods of intensive rehabilitation and lead to better outcomes.