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Published on: October 11, 2024
Neutral functional realignment orthosis prevents hand pain in patients with subacute stroke: a randomized trial
Elisabeth Bürge1, Danièle Kupper, Axel Finckh
1Haute école de santé Geneva, HES-SO/University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Geneva, Switzerland. Elisabeth.burge@hesge.ch
Objective:
To quantify the preventive effect of a neutral functional realignment orthosis on pain, mobility, and edema of the hand in subacute hemiparetic poststroke patients with severe motor deficits.
Design:
Randomized trial.
Setting:
Rehabilitation center.
Participants:
Poststroke patients (N=30) with subacute hemiparesis and severe deficits of the upper limb were enrolled. Fifteen patients were randomized to a standard rehabilitation program without orthosis and 15 patients received an experimental orthosis in addition to their standard rehabilitation program.
Intervention:
The orthosis group wore the neutral functional realignment orthosis for at least 6 hours daily.
Main Outcome Measures:
Hand pain at rest (visual analog scale), wrist range of motion (Fugl-Meyer Assessment subscale), and edema of hand and wrist (circumferences). Outcome measures were assessed at time of randomization and after 13 weeks between groups.
Results:
At baseline, 2 patients in each group complained about a painful hand. After 13 weeks, 8 subjects in the control group and 1 subject in the orthosis group complained of hand pain (P=.004). Mobility and edema evolved similarly in both groups.
Conclusions:
Neutral functional realignment orthoses have a preventive effect on poststroke hand pain, but not on mobility and edema in the subacute phase of recovery.
