TITLE:
Botulinum toxin type-A (BoNTA) and dynamic wrist-hand orthoses versus orthoses alone for the treatment of spastic-paretic upper extremity in chronic stroke patients
AUTHORS:
Sepideh Pooyania, Brenda Semenko
KEYWORDS:
Stroke Rehabilitation; Botulinum Toxin; Orthosis
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.2 No.1,
February
15,
2014
ABSTRACT: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential functional improvement of the spastic-paretic upper extremity of individuals with chronic hemiparesis when using a dynamic wrist-hand orthosis with and without concurrent botulinum toxin type-A (BoNTA) injections into the spastic upper extremity muscles. Methods: A three-year retrospective chart review was conducted on all stroke patients referred to out-patient occupational therapy for an upper extremity rehabilitation program, which included use of a dynamic wrist-hand orthosis (DWHO). Three charts documented concurrent treatment with a DWHO + BoNTA. Eleven charts documented DWHO use without concurrent BoNTA treatment. Pre- and post-intervention outcome measure scores were compared between the two groups. Pre- and post-interven- tion scores were also analyzed irrespective of treatment group. Results: Although improvement approached significance on three of the documented outcome measures when comparing the DWHO + BoNTA and DWHO groups, no statistically significant changes were found. A significant difference (p