End-point kinematics using virtual reality explaining upper limb impairment and activity capacity in stroke.

Only people with enough arm function to perform the pointing task were included, so the findings do not describe people with severe upper limb impairment. The haptic device could not separate trunk movement from arm movement. The virtual workspace was small compared with the shoulder movements tested by FMA-UE. The pointing task required speed and accuracy, while many FMA-UE and ARAT tasks are self-paced or object-based. The study is observational, so associations do not show that kinematics cause or replace clinical scores. Participants were tested at different times after stroke, and the analysis used only the first available pointing session.

The work was funded by Vetenskapsrådet. The article does not provide an additional conflict of interest declaration.

Do not conclude that a virtual pointing task can replace FMA-UE or ARAT. The kinematic variables explained only part of the clinical scores, and the study included only people with mild to moderate impairment.