Effects of Eye Movement with PNF Neck Movement on Trunk Stability and Standing Position Balance Ability of Chronic Stroke Patients

Abstract

Objective We investigated the effects of eye movement with PNF neck movement on trunk stability and standing position balance ability of chronic stroke patients. Methods A total of 30 patients were randomly divided into EMPN group and CON group. EMPN group was performed 60 min three times a week for 8 weeks in eye movement and PNF neck movement. CON group performed conservative treatment for 60min. The trunk stability was measured by the Trunk impairment scale (TIS) and the standing balance ability test was performed by Center of Pressure (COP), Limited of Stability (LOS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Reach Test (FRT). Results There was a significant difference (P<0.05) between before and after training in both groups, and EMPN group showed significant improvement in both groups. Conclusions In this study, we confirmed oculogyration and neck movement by PNF have positive effects on the trunk stability and the standing position balance ability of chronic stroke patients.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation-Based Physical Therapy on the Improvement of Balance and Gait in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Following deduplication, 518 articles underwent title and abstract screening. In the end, 68 articles were included for full-text review, which further excluded 49 articles, with the remaining 19 studies for qualitative synthesis [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ]. Screening the evaluation instruments used showed that the Berg balance scale (BBS), functional reach test (FRT), timed up-and-go test (TUG) and 10-m walking test (10MWT) were used in at least three separate studies, and their data in a total of 12 articles were combined for quantitative review by meta-analysis.…”

“…All studies selected patients with chronic stroke who had been diagnosed with stroke at least six months earlier as a primary inclusion criteria. Of the nineteen studies analyzed, fifteen studies used stroke at the chronic stage for those who could understand and follow the researcher′s instructions according to Mini-Mental State Examination scores (MMSE > 20 points) [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 39 ]. Two studies used the Brunnstrom scale [ 35 , 37 ] and three studies used the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) [ 25 , 31 , 38 ] to describe the spastic and involuntary muscle movement of lower limbs as inclusion criteria of a participant’s motor severity.…”

“…Two studies used the Brunnstrom scale [ 35 , 37 ] and three studies used the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) [ 25 , 31 , 38 ] to describe the spastic and involuntary muscle movement of lower limbs as inclusion criteria of a participant’s motor severity. Twelve studies included participants who could walk with or without assistance before treatment and ten studies selected participants who could follow simple verbal instructions [ 22 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 35 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”

“…There were 13 studies investigating the effects of PNF combined with non-PNF strategies in comparison to electrical stimulation [ 30 , 35 ], conventional physical therapy [ 24 , 31 , 34 , 39 ], treadmill training [ 27 ], NDT [ 29 ], constraint-induced movement therapy [ 23 ], eye movement programs [ 28 , 36 ] or taping administered alone [ 26 , 37 ]. The duration of these PNF-based combination therapeutic approaches ranged from 30 to 105 min per session, with the rehabilitation program including a range of sessions from 1 to 40 sessions.…”

“…Outcome measures related to motor function, including balance and gait, were used in all the included studies. Identical measurements of BBS, TUG, FRT and 10WMT on balance and gait function were performed in twelve studies [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 34 ] on which meta-analysis was conducted for this review study ( Table 3 ).…”