Upper Extremity Orthoses Combined With Occupational Therapy in Subacute Stroke

Resumo breve

This randomized controlled trial will investigate whether static or dynamic hand orthoses used as adjuncts to occupational therapy improve upper extremity recovery in adults with subacute stroke. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three parallel groups: conventional occupational therapy alone, occupational therapy combined with a dynamic hand orthosis, or occupational therapy combined with a static hand orthosis. All groups will receive a standardized occupational therapy program for 4 weeks. Participants in the two orthosis groups will additionally use the assigned orthosis for 120 minutes per day, 5 days per week, following the occupational therapy session. Clinical outcomes will be assessed at baseline, at the end of the 4-week intervention, and at 8 weeks from the start of the intervention. The primary outcome will be upper extremity motor function assessed with the Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity (FMA-UE).