Effects of purposeful action observation on kinematic patterns of upper extremity in individuals with hemiplegia

[Purpose] This study investigated the effects of purposeful action observation on upper extremity kinematic patterns in individuals with hemiplegia. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve patients were recruited in accordance with the inclusion criteria. The experimental group (n=6) was trained with a purposeful action observation program. The control group (n=6) was trained with only purposeful action without action observation. The programs were performed 30 min/session, 5 times per week for 30 sessions in 6 weeks of training. Upper extremity kinematic patterns were measured by a 3-dimensional motion analysis system before and after training, and the results were analyzed. [Results] The experimental group and the control group showed improvements in average velocity, trajectory ratio, and movement degree, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups. The experimental group showed statistically significant improvements in average velocity, trajectory ratio after the intervention. The experimental group also showed an improvement in movement degree, but the post-intervention difference was not significant. [Conclusion] The results of this study show that purposeful action observation training program improved the average velocity and trajectory ratio of stroke patients. Further research should enroll more subjects divided into more specific groups for treatment.