What is the significance of trunk muscle morphology in terms of balance? Structure vs function in chronic post-stroke patients. A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: To assess the architecture of the trunk muscles with RUSI and to reveal which parameters may be related to balance assessment tools in patients that suffered a stroke with hemiparesis. Methods: An observational, analytical, cross-sectional, matched case-control study was conducted, nested within a single-center cohort comprising patients with chronic hemiparesis. Twenty individuals in the chronic post-stroke stage and twenty healthy controls were recruited for this investigation. Key outcomes included the thickness measurements of the Rectus Abdominis (RA), External Oblique (OE), Internal Oblique (OI), Transversus Abdominis (TrAb), and Lumbar Multifidus (LMult) muscles, as well as assessments using the Modified Rivermead Functional Test (MRFT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), and BERG scales. Results: Results did not show statistically significant differences between groups for the outcomes measured. Conclusions: The findings indicate no significant disparities between the measured sides, suggesting that muscle alterations in patients that suffered a stroke may be more pronounced during the acute stage compared to the chronic stage. Keywords: Stroke, trunk, balance.