Effect of sensorimotor stimulation on chronic stroke patients' upper extremity function: a preliminary study

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an intensive sensorimotor stimulation program on the motor function of chronic hemiparetic patients. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were three chronic stroke patients whose sensory function was intact, who had Mini-Mental State Examination - Korean version scores of more than 26, and manual muscle test scores of more than fair for affected shoulder and elbow. The research design was an A-B single subject experimental design. The intervention consisted of 4 baselines phase sessions, and 12 sensorimotor stimulation phase sessions. The sensory and motor stimulation was performed for 30 minutes per session. The efficacy of the program was evaluated by the Box and Block test, and the 10-second test. [Results] Box and Block test and 10-second test scores of each subject improved after the 8 weeks intervention. [Conclusion] The intensive sensorimotor stimulation program for the upper extremity may be an efficacious method for improving the function of the affected limb of chronic stroke patients.