Proximal Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scores Predict Clinically Important Upper Limb Improvement After 3 Stroke...

To identify the baseline motor characteristics of the patients who responded to 3 prominent intervention programs.

Observational cohort study.

Outpatient rehabilitation clinics.

Individuals with chronic stroke (N=174).

Participants received 30 hours of constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), robot-assisted therapy, or mirror therapy (MT).

The primary outcome measure was the change score of the Upper Extremity Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UE-FMA). The potential predicting variables were baseline proximal, distal, and total UE-FMA and Action Research Arm Test scores. We combined polynomial regression analyses and the minimal clinically important difference to stratify the patients as responders and nonresponders for each intervention approach.

Baseline proximal UE-FMA scores significantly predicted clinically important improvement on the primary outcome measure after all 3 interventions. Participants with baseline proximal UE-FMA scores of approximately <30 benefited significantly from CIMT and robot-assisted therapy, whereas participants with scores between 21 and 35 demonstrated significant improvement after MT. Baseline distal and total UE-FMA and Action Research Arm Test scores could also predict upper limb improvement after CIMT and MT, but not after robot-assisted therapy.

This study could inform clinicians about the selection of suitable rehabilitation approaches to help patients achieve clinically meaningful improvement in upper extremity function.