Active Sensory Therapies Enhancing Upper Limb Recovery Among Poststroke Subjects: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Physical Therapy
• Occupational Therapy

Background:

• Sensory deficits significantly impact motor recovery in stroke survivors.
• Evidence supporting active sensory interventions to improve motor function post-stroke is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing evidence on active sensory therapies for upper limb motor recovery in stroke patients.
• To identify effective sensory interventions that augment motor function after stroke.

Main Methods:

• Searched PubMed, CENTRAL, DORIS, PEDro, and OTseeker for studies up to August 2021.
• Included studies focused on active sensory interventions for motor recovery, excluding robotic, VR, electrical stimulation, and acupuncture.
• Defined motor recovery as the primary outcome and sensory recovery as the secondary outcome.

Main Results:

• Eight studies met the inclusion criteria out of 3528 screened.
• Interventions included sensory discrimination, mirror therapy, motor imagery, and somatosensory training.
• Mirror therapy and motor imagery demonstrated potential benefits, but strong evidence for motor improvement is lacking.

Conclusions:

• Further development of comprehensive active sensory protocols integrating cognitive, sensory, motor, and functional demands is recommended.
• High-quality randomized controlled trials are necessary to validate the efficacy of current active sensory therapies for stroke recovery.