Hands-on therapy interventions for upper limb motor dysfunction following stroke

Therapists use a variety of techniques to help the arm to get better following stroke. However, the details of what they doing are unclear, are not well described in studies, and are used in various combinations. It is not known which elements of these techniques are effective. This review therefore attempted to identify which, if any, of the techniques used are beneficial. However, we found only three studies giving clear descriptions of the techniques used. In addition, each of these studies used different techniques with different types of patients in different environments and the success of these interventions was measured differently. It was therefore difficult to draw clear conclusions. In light of this, it is suggested that this review has demonstrated that the limited evidence of benefit of stretching, passive exercises and mobilization, when applied to the hemiplegic upper limb following stroke, merits further research.