Motor Function in the Late Phase After Stroke: Stroke Survivors’ Perspective

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between observer-assessed functional status and perceived recovery in the late phase after stroke. The study also aimed to determine whether observer-assessed functional improvements as a result of horse-riding therapy (H-RT) are related to enhanced perception of stroke recovery. METHODS: This is a descriptive correlational study using data derived from a three-armed randomized controlled trial in which 123 individuals were enrolled, among whom 43 received H-RT for 12 weeks. The measures included the Modified Motor Assessment Scale, Berg Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go, timed 10-m walk, and perceived recovery from stroke indicated by item #9 in the Stroke Impact Scale (version 2.0). Spearman rank order correlation (rs) was used in the analyses. RESULTS: There were moderate to strong positive or negative correlations between all four observer-assessed motor variables and participants’ ratings of perceived late-phase stroke recovery at trial entrance, ranging from r(s)=-0.49 to r(s)=0.54 (p<0.001). The results of the correlational analyses of variable changes showed that, after the end of the H-RT intervention, both self-selected and fast gait speed improvement were significantly correlated with increments in self-rated stroke recovery (r(s)=-0.41, p=0.01 and r(s)=-0.38, p=0.02, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study provided data supporting the association between individual ratings of self-perceived recovery after stroke and observer-assessed individual motor function. The results further demonstrate that enhancement in perceived stroke recovery after completing the intervention was associated with objectively measured gains in both self-selected and fast gait speed.