Analysis of Grasp Stability During Drinking Tasks in Stroke Survivors Versus Normal Individuals- A Comparative Study.

R Vasanthan, Noor Ul Ayan
Purpose:

This study aims to investigate the stability limits of drinking tasks in stroke survivors compared to healthy individuals under motor perturbation conditions. The findings seek to address gaps in understanding grasp stability and inform the development of rehabilitation strategies to improve task performance in stroke patients.

Methods:

A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at a neurorehabilitation center in Bangalore, India, with ethical approval from the institutional review board. The study included 32 stroke survivors and 32 age-matched healthy individuals, aged 30 to 80. Grasp stability during a drinking task was assessed under two conditions: self-generated and external perturbations. For self-generated perturbations, participants performed the drinking task at increasing speeds, and the maximum speed at which water spillage occurred was captured and analyzed using video analysis software (Kinovea). For external perturbations, force was applied in multiple directions (Medio-lateral and vertical directions) to determine the maximum external force tolerated without spillage. The reliability and validity of the measurement tools and perturbation devices were verified before testing and by using inferential statistics the results were obtained.

Results:

Stroke survivors showed lower stability limits for self-generated perturbation (0.49m/s vs. 0.86m/s in healthy individuals) and external perturbation for Medio-Lateral stability was: 1.47N-1.37N in stroke 3.43N -2.45N in healthy and vertical stability (upward-downward) was 1.47N- 0.88N in stroke and 2,54N-1.47N in healthy individuals, indicating reduced grasp stability in stroke survivors.

Conclusion(s):

Stroke survivors demonstrated significantly reduced grasp stability compared to healthy individuals during drinking tasks under both self-generated and external perturbations. These findings provide crucial insights into functional limitations in stroke survivors during real-world tasks like drinking.

Implications:

The identified stability limits offer a valuable assessment tool for therapists to monitor recovery and design targeted interventions to improve task performance and reduce spillage in stroke rehabilitation

Funding acknowledgements:
This work did not receive any external funding and was solely funded by the author.
Keywords:
Stroke
Grasp
Functional activity
Primary topic:
Disability and rehabilitation
Second topic:
Neurology: stroke
Third topic:
Research methodology, knowledge translation and implementation science
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
THE OXFORD COLLEGE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY REVIEW BOARD FOR ETHICS AND RESEARCH(TOCPTRBER)
Provide the ethics approval number:
TOCPTRBER/ECC/576/2024
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

Back to the listing