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

In stroke, sensory deficits may affect the motor recovery of the subjects. The evidence for the active sensory intervention to enhance motor recovery is sparsely available.

To systematically review the available evidence from the studies on active sensory therapies augmenting upper limb recovery among poststroke subjects.

The following databases were searched for the desired articles: PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Trials (CENTRAL), DORIS, PEDro, and OTseeker. The primary search keywords were stroke, sensory, and motor. The articles published in English up to August 2021 were considered for the review. Only investigations that studied active sensory interventions to enhance motor recovery were considered for the review. The studies of robotic training, virtual reality, electrical stimulation, and acupuncture were excluded. Motor recovery and sensory recovery were considered as primary and secondary measures, respectively.

Out of 3528 screened studies, eight studies were found eligible for the present systematic review. Active sensory interventions in the form of sensory discrimination, mirror therapy, motor imagery, and specific somatosensory training were utilized in the selected studies. The interventions through mirror therapy and mental imaging have some promising roles in enhancing upper limb recovery. However, there is a lack of strong evidence for the effectiveness of the intervention enhancing motor improvement among the stroke subjects.

A comprehensive active sensory protocol should be developed having components of cognitive, sensory, motor, and functional demand. There is a need to conduct good quality randomized trials to support the existing active sensory therapies.