Kinaesthetic ability training improves unilateral neglect and functional outcome in patients with stroke: A...

To investigate the effects of kinaesthetic ability training with the Kinesthetic Ability Trainer (KAT) on unilateral neglect and functional outcomes in stroke patients.

An assessor-blinded, randomized controlled, clinical trial.

A total of 64 stroke patients with unilateral neglect (mean age 61 (standard deviation (SD) 12) years, 60.4% male, mean time since stroke 6.4 (SD 10.4) months, left hemiplegia 92.5%) were randomly assigned to a conventional rehabilitation programme (control group, n = 32) or KAT plus a conventional rehabilitation programme (KAT group, n = 32) for 4 weeks. Patients were assessed with the Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) before and after therapy.

Both groups showed significant improvements in all subscales of the BIT (conventional and behavioural) (p < 0.001) and the FIM motor scale (p < 0.001) after therapy. Recovery from neglect was assessed, based on the BIT cut-off scores. The recovery rate for behavioural BIT was 40% in the KAT group and 17.9% in the control group (p = 0.07), whereas recovery rates according to the conventional BIT were 16% and 10.7% in the KAT and control groups, respectively.

Kinaesthetic ability training provides clinically meaningful improvement in stroke patients with unilateral neglect. It may be useful as an adjunctive therapy for rehabilitation in these patients.