The Effect of Occupational Therapy on Upper Extremity Function and Daily Life Activities in Stroke Patients

Objective: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of occupational therapy (OT) added to standard rehabilitation treatments on hemiplegic stroke patients' daily life activities and upper extremity functions. \rMaterial and Methods: This prospective, randomized, controlled clinical \rstudy included 50 patients aged between 20 and 80 who had suffered a \rstroke and developed hemiplegia due to cerebrovascular accident and applied to Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Hospital. The study patients were divided into two groups: an OT \r[treatment] group receiving standard rehabilitation (five days a week for six \rweeks) and OT (three days a week for six weeks, 45 minutes per day) and \ra standard treatment (ST) [control] group receiving standard rehabilitation \ronly. All patients were evaluated before (at initial) and after the treatment \r(at the end of the 6-week treatment). The Barthel Index (BI), Fugl-Meyer \rAssessment of Motor Recovery (FMA) Scale, and Action Research Arm \rTest (ARAT) were used to investigate treatment effectiveness. Results: \rThere was a significant increase in the post-treatment (at the end of the 6-\rweek treatment) BI, FMA Scale, and ARAT scores in both OT and ST \rgroups compared to the pre-treatment (at initial) scores. The FMA scale and \rARAT scores significantly differed between groups 6 weeks after the treatment; the post-treatment ARAT and FMA scale scores were statistically significantly higher in the OT group than in the ST group. No significant \rdifference was found between the groups in pre-treatment and post-treatment BI scores. Conclusion: The present study revealed that occupational \rtherapies added to the standard rehabilitation practices contribute to developing motor functions of the upper extremity in hemiplegic stroke patient