ABSTRACT
Objective:To observe the effect of a wrist brace on activities of spastic hemiplegic hand after stroke, based on Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection and electrical stimulation. Methods:From January, 2016 to December, 2018, 52 stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia on upper extremities accepted BTX-A injection, and electrical stimulation two days later, while group A (n = 26) wore a wrist brace during stimulation and group B (n = 26) did not. They were assessed with modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Box and Block test (BBt) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) before treatment (T0), and two (T1), four (T2) and twelve 12 (T3) weeks after treatment. Results:The scores of MAS, BBt and ARAT improved after treatment in both groups (Ftime > 118.32,P < 0.001), and improved more in group A than in group B in the scores of BBt and ARAT at each time point (Fgroup > 31.26,P < 0.001;Finteract = 10.65,P < 0.001). Conclusion:Based on the BTX-A injection and electrical stimulation, wearing a wrist brace would further improve the activities of hand for stroke patients.