Assessment of Weight Shift Direction in Chronic Stroke Patients

BACKGROUND: In patients who have suffered a stroke, the measurement of center of pressure excursion in all directions including oblique direction, anterior-medial, anterior-lateral, posterior-medial, and posterior-lateral side is important for determining balance instability but no research has been reported. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated weight shift in all directions to determine balance instability in stroke patients, including the oblique direction, using the multi-directional functional reach test. METHODS: Eleven subjects participated. Multi-directional functional reach test consisted of moving the unaffected arm as far as possible in 8 directions. The directions were as follows; anterior, middle of anterior and lateral in unaffected side, lateral in unaffected side, and middle of the posterior and lateral in unaffected side, posterior, middle of posterior and lateral in affected side, lateral in affected side, middle of anterior and lateral in affected side. RESULTS: Movement was the lowest in the affected posterior-lateral side, followed by affected posterior, affected anterior-lateral, non-affected posterior lateral, affected lateral, non-affected lateral, non-affected anterior-lateral and anterior side (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Center of pressure excursion of the affected posterior-lateral side was the most challenging for stroke patients and their reach was lowest from posterior, to lateral, and anterior directions, whilst patients could move less on the affected side compared with the non-affected side.