Role of corrected-assisted-synchronized-periodic therapy in post-stroke rehabilitation

Stroke is one of the common causes of chronic disability among neurological disorders. The role of various physiotherapy techniques has been extensively described in the literature. Here, we introduce a new physiotherapy technique, "Corrected-Assisted-Synchronized-Periodic (CASP) therapy." In this study, we aimed to compare CASP therapy with conventional physiotherapies.

This was a prospective, parallel, quasi-randomized, double-blind controlled intervention trial. The study was carried out at a tertiary care teaching and research centre. Sixty-one stroke affected patients with functional modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ranging from 1 to 5 suffering from post-stroke spasticity (grade 1-4) and muscle weakness were included in the study. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups. The first group followed conventional passive stretching exercises and the second group was offered CASP therapy. They were prospectively followed up at 3 monthly intervals for 6 months. The main outcome-measures were improvement in power, reduction in spasticity, and improvement in overall functional outcome.

Mann-Whitney U-test for statistical significance was applied. At follow-up, CASP recipients reported improvement on functional scales such as Barthel index of activity of daily living, and modified Rankin scale (mRS), along with reduction in post-stroke spasticity and improvement in muscle power at 3 and 6 months of follow-up.

CASP therapy has a major role in post-stroke rehabilitation particularly in limiting disability, reducing post-stroke spasticity, and providing an improvement in major functional outcomes.