Relationship Between Motor Paralysis and Impairments in Tactile Sensitivity in Elderly Stroke Patients

Summary: Background: Human hand functions are affected by neurological disturbances. We hypothesized that the degree of somatosensory impairments after stroke may be related to the severity of motor paralysis. In order to examine this hypothesis, we investigated the relationship between the classification of the Brunnstrom stage and tactile sensation impairments in elderly stroke patients. Methods: Participants were 61 elderly inpatients with hemiparesis after stroke. We measured the tactile-pressure threshold and handgrip strength in both hands and assessed motor impairments of the hand using the six Brunnstrom stages. Differences due to hemiparesis after stroke were examined using paired t-tests. Spearman's rank correlation was performed to elucidate the relationship between Brunnstrom stage scores and the tactile-pressure threshold or handgrip strength. Results: Significant differences were observed in the tactile-pressure threshold and handgrip strength between the impaired and unimpaired sides (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the Brunnstrom stage showed a negative relationship with the tactile-pressure threshold on the impaired side (rs = −0.43, p < 0.01) and a positive relationship with handgrip strength (rs = 0.82, p < 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that the degree of sensory impairments after stroke is related to the severity of motor paralysis classified by the Brunnstrom stage. Keywords: handgrip strength, stroke, tactile-pressure threshol