Kicking a Ball on Balance and Upper Limb Function in Chronic Stroke

ABSTRACT

Purpose@#This study describes the effects of kicking a ball training on balance and upper limb function in chronic hemiplegia. @*Methods@#Thirty chronic stroke patients were randomly selected; Kicking a ball (n = 10), Treadmill gait (n = 10), Stepping on the ground group (n = 10). The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) for balance and Foot Scan for weight distribution. Upper limb function was measured by the Manal Function Test (MFT). This treatment was performed five times a week for a total of 4 weeks. @*Results@#Kicking group was significantly increased in SPPB (p < 0.05) and MFT (p < 0.05) between pretest vs post test and pretest vs follow-up. @*Conclusion@#Kicking a ball was effective for improving weight acceptance on the paretic leg, balance and upper limb function. However, In terms of balance, the core stabilization that affected the upper extremity function was not evaluated. Thus, additional research may help determine correlation between core stability and upper limb function to improve balance.