Effect of Dual-task Training on the Upper Limb Functon, Muscle Tone, and Actvites of Daily Living in Women With Chronic Stroke

Background and Aims Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the world; which can cause disability. One of the main goals of rehabilitation in these patients is to improve their upper limb function. Dual-task training (DTT) is one of the rehabilitation methods in stroke patients, which include performing motor tasks along with mental exercises. This study aims to investigate the effect of DTT on upper limb function, elbow flexor muscle tone, wrist extension range of motion (ROM), and the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) in women with chronic stroke.Methods In this pilot study, 16 female patients suffering from chronic stroke for more than 6 months were selected and divided into two groups of 8 including training and control. In both groups, the routine treatment included electrical stimulation of quadriceps and dorsiflexors of the affected hand, 10 minutes of bicycling, and performing three movement tasks for the upper limb (sorting colored blocks, opening and closing the bottle cap with the affected hand, and moving the beans with a spoon towards a determined point). In the training group, DTT included performing these three movement tasks simultaneously with performing mental task (counting down from 100). The training was performed for 4 weeks at 12 sessions, three sessions per week. The upper limb function was measured by the box & block test; elbow flexor muscle tone by the modified Ashworth scale; active ROM of wrist extension by a goniometer; and ADL by the Barthel index before and after the treatments. Results No significant difference was found in any variables between the two groups (P>0.05). In both in groups, there was a significant improvement in the three variables of elbow flexor muscle tone, upper limb function, and the ability to perform ADL after interventions compared to baseline (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the active ROM of wrist extension in any groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Training with and without DTT can lead to significant improvement in elbow flexor muscle tone, upper limb function, and the ability to perform ADL in women with chronic stroke. The DTT has no superior effect on these variables.