Effect of somatosensory stimulation on hand functions in post stroke hemiparetic patients

Somatosensorycuesprovidewiththefirstchancetocreateaprecisemovementpatternandexecutepropermotorcontrol.Somatosensory impairmentcanexacerbatehemiparesis, eitherdirectlybecause ofa stroke orindirectly through theloss of the abilityto interact with the environment. This study aims to investigate the effect of somatosensory stimulation on hand functions,dexterity,and handgrip strength in post stroke hemi paretic patients. This study is a randomized control trial research usingtwogroup'spre-posttestdesign. Thirtyhemi pareticstroke patientsagedbetween50to67yearswere randomlyassignedintotwoequalgroup((A)studyand(B) control).GroupA(15patients)receivedaselectedphysicaltherapyprograminadditiontosomatosensory trainingWhile groupB(15 patients)received aselected physical therapy program only.All patients undergoneevaluationofhandgripstrength(HGS)usinghandheld dynamometer,handdexterityusingbox block test (BBT) and hand functionalactivities using Jepsen–Taylor hand function test (JTHFT).Unpaired t-test was conducted for comparison of the meanage between groups andcomparison of handgrip strength, box and block test score and JTHFTbetween groups.Chi-squared test was conducted for comparison of sexdistribution between groups. Paired t test was conducted for comparisonbetween pre, post treatment handgrip strength, box and block test scoreand JTHFT in each group. After therapy, the study group had a statisticallysignificant higher mean valuesof HGS, BBT scores, and a lower mean value of JTHFT scores than the controlgroup.Handgrip strength,handdexterity and hand functional activities in both groups were improved post treatment compared with that pretreatment.Somatosensory stimulation could improve handgrip strength, hand dexterity and hand functional activities in poststroke hemiparetic patients.