Physiotherapy of the Trunk Related to Sitting Function After Stroke: A Delphi Study.
Elizabeth Bell, Kathy Briffa, James McLoughlin and 1 others
PMID 40017404WHAT IT FOUND
Expert stroke physiotherapists agreed on sitting-focused task practice for subacute stroke.
Midline orientation and foot loading were considered important. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
Key findings
01Over 70% of respondents agreed with nine statements for people unable to sit unsupported and five statements for people able to sit unsupported.
02Most agreed statements involved activities in sitting, and factors such as midline orientation and foot loading were considered important.
03Five participants said physiotherapy of the trunk was not important or not a priority, and two participants later said the list was not evidence-based.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was expert consensus, not a treatment trial, so it did not test whether any activity improved sitting, mobility or independence. The panel was 26 Australian physiotherapists, and not all Australian states were represented, so agreement may not transfer to other countries, health systems or professions. Some participants did not think physiotherapy of the trunk was important after stroke, and two participants said the final list was not evidence-based. The term physiotherapy of the trunk was interpreted differently, with some focusing only on trunk muscles and others including pelvis and hip muscles. Questions about parameters and guidelines produced divergent responses because the terms were not defined, so those issues were not clarified. Response numbers fell in later rounds, with 22 completing Round 3 and 20 completing Round 4.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no financial support for the research, authorship or publication. The study was supported by an Australian Government Training Program Scholarship that provided fees remission.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the consensus statements as proof that trunk or sitting activities improve outcomes after stroke. The study recorded agreement among physiotherapists, not patient results, and two participants said the list was not evidence-based.