International Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-9096
ISSN: 2329-9096
Rilee Epley and Luke K Barr*
Background: Stroke is a major public health challenge in the United States, with nearly 800,000 strokes occurring per year. Most of these are acute ischemic strokes. There are almost 8 million stroke survivors living in the United States. Approximately 80% of strokes involve the upper extremity and hand, which are vital for maintaining independence. Notably, approximately 50%-80% of these patients do not regain robust hand function.
Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether larger studies should be conducted to assess the usefulness of bimanual neurorehabilitation using a novel polyform device for hand recovery after stroke. Study Design: Single-center observational cohort study.
Methods: Eight patients with acute ischemic stroke resulting in moderate-to-severe paresis of the hand and upper extremities were enrolled. Patients were monitored and received Occupational Therapy (OT) according to the established protocol. Participants were also provided with a polyform bimanual device and instructed to use it for 5 minutes four times per day, with one of these sessions performed in conjunction with OT. Patients were followed up by telephone at three months to report their recovery level. The recovery rate of the group was calculated from these reports. The expected outcome comparator was set at a 30% recovery rate, and Fisher’s exact test was performed to compare the results.
Results: All eight enrolled patients reported normal hand function at the three-month follow-up. This result was considerably higher than that of standard therapy alone. Fisher’s exact test, which was used to compare the results with an expected normal or near-normal recovery rate of 30%, yielded a p-value of 0.007.
Conclusion: Incorporating a polyform bimanual device in bimanual neurorehabilitation may improve the recovery rate of hand function after acute ischemic stroke and should be considered. Additional studies with larger cohorts and more robust bimanual outcome measures may prove fruitful.
Published Date: 2025-07-21; Received Date: 2025-06-19