Independent Arm and Hand Exercise After Stroke
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Development of a Toolkit to Support Self-directed Upper Limb Exercise after Stroke
IRAS ID
315630
Contact name
Madeleine Kenny
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 9 months, 1 days
Research summary
About 60% of people who have a stroke have a weak, un-coordinated arm. There is good evidence that it takes hundreds of repetitions of exercises to help arm recovery. Some of this practice can be done with the therapists. However, to achieve the amount needed, lots of practice needs to be done independently. This research aims to help people with stroke practise enough of the needed exercises to get the best recovery from their arm. It is focussed on the first part of recovery after stroke, whilst still in hospital.
An earlier phase of this research looked at the evidence already available to work out what helped, and what hindered therapists giving out exercises for the arm and hand in hospital. It also looked at who benefitted most from being given the exercises and why, and who found them hard to do, and why. This is important, as we are all different, and what works for one person may not work for another.
This part of the study develops this knowledge further, by looking at what happens in real life. The researcher will watch what happens on a busy stroke ward and then talk to the therapists and patients to understand what makes giving out or doing arm and hand exercises work or not.
This information will then be all pulled together to create a toolkit to make it easier for therapists to prescribe exercises that suit the individuals they are giving them to, tailored to their differing needs. The toolkit will be co-designed by people who have had a stroke, and therapists together.
Finally, the toolkit will be tested on the stroke units used earlier in the study, so that patients and therapists can help to resolve any problems that come to light when using it in real life.REC name
West of Scotland REC 5
REC reference
23/WS/0080
Date of REC Opinion
13 Jun 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion