Is training with a focus on motor learning effective in improving body coordination in chronic post stroke patients?

Background and aims: The central tenet in stroke rehabilitation is motor training which includes the interlimb coordination. Several studies robustly demonstrate that the learning of new motor skills is not abolished by stroke. Training of an unfamiliar skill task using either their hemiparetic or non-hemiparetic limbs represents a strategy to improve fine motor function in chronic stroke. We hypothesized that training with a focus on motor learning which includes coordination of all limbs, would be effective in improving motor coordination in patients. Methods: Fifty-six post-stroke subjects were recruited. Inclusion criteria: 1) age 40–70 years, 2) unilateral, first ever ischemic stroke more than 6 months before study enrollment, 3) mild to moderate hemiparesis with residual hand function sufficient for task performance, 4) sufficient cognitive function to comply with study requirements. We proposed the 8-week of the complex motor learning intervention (3 sessions of 1 h each, per week). Motor and functional performance was assessed before and after intervention and included measures of independence in activities of daily living (ADL), the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Box and Block Test. Results: The motor assessment showed statistically significant improvement in all participants in all the scores tested (t-test performed). The results showed that participants have had the greatest improvements on the FMA test (p < 0.011) and the ADL (p = 0.036). Conclusions: Our motor learning training is an effective tool in improving motor coordination and motor control in chronic stroke patients.