Day-to-day features of soleus stretch reflexes in sub-acute stroke patients

The aim of the study was to assess the reliability and variability of stretch reflex magnitude (SRmag) in sub-acute stroke patients. For testing, rapid dorsiflexion stretches were induced 24 h apart in 22 patients and 34 controls. SRmag between sessions in patients and controls was not different and the SRmag on the more-affected side was significantly larger than the less-affected, dominant, and non-dominant sides. The SRmag was consistent between sessions. Therefore, patients were not as variable between sessions as we had hypothesized.