Schindler-Ivens S, Desimone D, Grubich S, Kelley C, Sanghvi N, Brown D
As passive stretches are a common physiotherapy intervention post stroke, the authors chose to explore the rationale behind this treatment choice through studying the relationship between lower limb passive range of movement (LL PROM) and ambulation in a sample of stoke survivors who were ambulatory but had chronic hemiparesis.
Results suggested that stroke survivors with residual neuro-muscular deficits did not show any significant decrease in LL PROM when compared to age-matched able-bodies individuals. The authors suggest that LL PROM may not interfere with ambulation in this patient population, therefore therapists may choose other treatment interventions to maximise independence when in the community.
Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy 2008, 32 (1), 21-31