Loss of upper Extremity Motor Control and Function affect Women more than Men

• Main Author: Gad Alon (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Journal of Novel Physiotherapy and Physical Rehabilitation - Peertechz Publications, 2014-08-22.
• Subjects: Research Article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

<p><strong>Background</strong>: Loss of functional ability and motor control following stroke appears to affect women more severely than men in general. However, little attention has been paid specifically to the upper extremity.</p><p><strong>Objective</strong>: To quantify loss of upper extremity control, comparing men to women that survived ischemic stroke. A secondary purpose was to report gender differences in residual deficits (RD) of the paretic upper extremity following 12 weeks of rehabilitation. </p><p><strong>Design</strong>: A retrospective data analyses from women (n=21) and men (n=24) that received task-specific (control) or task-specific + functional electrical stimulation (FES) training to the paretic upper extremity.</p><p><strong>Methods</strong>: Participants performed a modified Fugl-Meyer (mF-M), the Box & Blocks and the Jebsen-Taylor light object lift tests. Baseline and post 12-week training data of women and men were compared statistically (p=0.05). RD was calculated as= (1-(paretic/non-paretic))*100. </p><p><strong>Results</strong>: Females had significantly greater loss of upper extremity control compared to male subjects (9.3±8.6 vs. 14.8±12.0 mF-M score; 0.7±1.9 vs. 4.5±6.6 transferred blocks; and 60±0 vs. 49.9±18.3 sec completing the Jebsen-Taylor test). Females' RD were significantly higher performing the mF-M and Box & Blocks than the males' RD. The Jebsen-Taylor test's RD did not differ statistically between the genders.</p><p><strong>Limitations</strong>: The study was not based on prospective analysis of data where gender is considered a factor in the original experimental design. </p><p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: Loss of upper extremity control is considerably more evident in females following first-time ischemic stroke. The recovery rate associated with task-specific rehabilitation with or without FES appears similar in a sub-group with good prognosis. The deficits of motor control and hand function of females with poor prognosis remain significantly higher than the deficits of males with similar prognosis. </p>

DOI

10.17352/2455-5487.000004