Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care

Öz

Aims: We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of occupational therapy (OT) added to traditional rehabilitation treatments on activities of daily living and upper extremity functions in hemiplegic patients in this study.
Methods: This study was carried out within eighty hemiplegic patients. In the evaluation of the patients before the therapy, age, gender, body mass index (BMI), occupation, education, duration of stroke, stroke etiology, symptomatic side, the presence of systemic diseases and dominant hand data were recorded. The patients were randomized into two groups according to the sealed envelope method. While standard rehabilitation (ST) (50 minutes five days a week for 6 weeks) was applied to the first group, ST (50 minutes five days a week for 6 weeks) and OT (40 minutes three days a week for 6 weeks) were applied to the second group. Functional Independence Scale (FIM), Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Assessment of Motor Recovery Scale (FMA) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were evaluated before the treatment and on the 45th day after the end of the treatment.
Results: Our study included 35 male and 45 female patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, symptom duration and stroke etiology. FIM, ARAT and FMA values were found to be increased in both groups compared to pre-treatment (ST; FIM p=0.003, ARAT p=0.011, FMA p= 0.002 OT; FIM p=0.023, ARAT p=0.024, FMA p= 0.012 ). While there was no significant difference in terms of FIM, ARAT and FMA values before treatment in comparisons between groups, all parameters were found to be significantly increased in the OT group compared to ST on the 45th day of treatment (FIM p=0.017, ARAT p=0.021, FMA p= 0. 004).
Conclusion: In this study, OT was applied three times a week for 40 extremity dexterity. While the increase in FIM, FMA and ARAT was significant after treatment in both groups, the increase in the OT group was higher when compared to ST. The results of our study show that both ST and OT are effective in stroke rehabilitation. In addition, it has been clearly proven that more effective results are obtained in upper extremity functions with OT added to ST.