Relationship between upper limb motor function and activities of daily living after removing the influence of lower limb motor function in subacute patients with stroke: A cross-sectional study.
Haruka Yamamoto, Kazuya Takeda, Soichiro Koyama and 8 others
PMID 33815019WHAT IT FOUND
Upper limb motor function correlates with total ADL independence, but this link weakens significantly once lower limb function is accounted for.
Only specific self-care tasks and stair climbing remain associated with upper limb strength after removing lower limb influence.
Key findings
01The correlation between upper limb motor function and total ADL independence drops from moderate to fair after removing the influence of lower limb motor function.
02Upper limb motor function remains correlated with grooming, bathing, dressing, and stair climbing even after controlling for lower limb motor function.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (58 participants) from a single centre limits generalisability. Retrospective design means data was not collected prospectively for the study's specific hypotheses. The study population had a mean age of 78.6 years, which may not reflect younger stroke patients. Convenience sampling was used, which may introduce selection bias.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the weak overall correlation between upper limb function and total ADL independence as evidence that upper limb therapy is ineffective for daily living. The study shows that while the total score is heavily influenced by lower limb function, upper limb function remains a significant predictor for specific self-care tasks like dressing and grooming.