Effects of body awareness training on mild visuospatial neglect in patients with acute stroke: a pilot randomized controlled trial

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the effects of body awareness training (BAT) on mild visuospatial neglect in patients following acute stroke. [Subjects] The subjects were 12 stroke patients randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n(1)=6) or control group (n(2)=6). [Methods] The experimental group underwent BAT for 15 minutes and then task-oriented training for 30 minutes a day, five times a week for three weeks. The control group underwent task-oriented training for 30 minutes a day, five times a week for three weeks. Assessments were made using the Motor-free Visual Perception Test (MVPT), Line Bisection Test (LBT), and modified Barthel index (MBI). [Results] Following the interventions, the experimental group showed a significant change in MVPT, LBT, and MBI scores. [Conclusion] The results of this study suggest the feasibility and suitability of BAT with task-oriented training for mild visuospatial neglect in patients with acute stroke.