The effect of repetitive rhythmic precision grip task-oriented rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients: a pilot study

Most chronic stroke patients present with difficulty in the manipulation of objects. The aim of this study was to test whether an intensive program of precision grip training could improve hand functioning of patients at more than 6 months after a stroke. This was a cross-over study; hence, at inclusion, the patients were randomly divided into two groups: one group started with the bilateral movement therapy and the other group started with the unilateral movement therapy. The patients were assessed on four separate occasions across a 12-week period: (a) at inclusion in the study, (b) 4 weeks later, immediately before the first rehabilitation session, (c) after 4 weeks of one therapy, and (d) after a further 4 weeks of the other therapy. Ten patients completed two consecutive 4-week sessions (1 h, 3 days/week) of therapy. The therapy comprised unilateral and bilateral repetitive grip-lift task-oriented rehabilitation with rhythmic auditory cueing. The grip-lift force coordination, digital dexterity, manual ability, and the level of satisfaction (with activities and participation) were assessed. A one-way repeated-measure analysis of variance across the four evaluations did not detect any objective improvement in the measured variables after 8 weeks of specific intensive training. Precision grip training was shown to not generate significant improvement in the grip-lift task, digital dexterity, manual ability, or satisfaction in chronic stroke patients.