Effective physical therapy activities to improve the supine-to-seated transfer time in stroke patients: an observational pilot study.
Yuichi Yoshida, Koichiro Tobinaga, Shun Kumamoto and 3 others
PMID 35291476WHAT IT FOUND
In stroke patients who could already sit up independently, time spent on transitional movements and special equipment therapy was associated with faster sitting transfers.
This pilot suggests these specific activities may help, but confounding factors and small sample size limit conclusions.
Key findings
01Among patients able to sit independently, time spent on moderate therapeutic activity (like sitting balance and transitions) and other activity (special equipment) showed a significant association with improved relative shortening ratio for transfer time.
02High therapeutic activity, such as standing and walking without special equipment, did not show a statistically significant association with improved transfer time in this analysis.
03The study identified lower extremity Brunnstrom recovery stage as a key confounding factor, and analyses were stratified by this variable to adjust for patient severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Very small sample size (n=19 total, n=15 in the analyzed subgroup). Observational design cannot prove causation; associations may be influenced by unmeasured confounders. Only the BRS-6 subgroup was analyzed in detail; results may not apply to more severely impaired patients. The study focused on supine-to-sitting time; findings may not generalize to standing or walking outcomes. Concurrent interventions (occupational therapy, nurse/caregiver training, voluntary training) were recorded but not fully controlled for, making it difficult to isolate the effect of physical therapy alone.
Declared interests
None declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that standing and walking exercises are ineffective for transfer time. The lack of significance for AP3 in this small pilot does not rule out their benefit, and the study only looked at supine-to-sitting transfers, not gait or standing endurance.