Published online Aug 16, 2014. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v2.i8.316
Revised: May 15, 2014
Accepted: July 12, 2014
Published online: August 16, 2014
Impaired motor and functional activity following stroke often has negative impacts on the patient, the family and society. The available rehabilitation programs for stroke patients are reviewed. Conventional rehabilitation strategies (Bobath, Brunnstrom, proprioception neuromuscular facilitation, motor relearning and function-based principles) are the mainstream tactics in clinical practices. Numerous advanced strategies for sensory-motor functional enhancement, including electrical stimulation, electromyographic biofeedback, constraint-induced movement therapy, robotics-aided systems, virtual reality, intermittent compression, partial body weight supported treadmill training and thermal stimulation, are being developed and incorporated into conventional rehabilitation programs. The concept of combining valuable rehabilitative procedures into “a training package”, based on the patient’s functional status during different recovery phases after stroke is proposed. Integrated sensorimotor rehabilitation programs with appropriate temporal arrangements might provide great functional benefits for stroke patients.
Core tip: Rehabilitation strategies, including conventional interventions with an empirical basis and advanced interventions based on scientific evidence, are reviewed. The concept of a training package that is related to the severity of impairment and the phase of recovery from stroke is proposed to maximize the recovery of motor function after a stroke. The training package for therapists provides valuable suggestions for selecting from the available and suitable advanced rehabilitation methods as well as from the conventional rehabilitation methods.