Department of Medical Rehabilitation, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria; Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, Universit
Vincent-Onabajo, G.O., Department of Medical Rehabilitation, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria; Hamzat, T.K., Department of Physiotherapy, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria; Owolabi, M.O., Department of Medicine, Neurology Unit, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Objective: Submissions on recovery of post-stroke motor performance vary, especially in relation to increasing time after stroke. This study examined the trajectory of motor performance over the first 12 months after stroke. Methods: Consecutive first-incidence stroke survivors (N = 83) were recruited within 1 month of onset from a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. Simplified Fugl Meyer scale (S-FM) was used to assess motor performance at monthly intervals. Changes in overall motor performance, and differences between the affected upper and lower extremities, were examined using Friedman's ANOVA and paired t-tests, respectively. Results: Significant improvement in motor performance was observed across 12 months (p <.001), with the proportion of stroke survivors with severe impairment at onset (53.3%) decreasing to 20% by 12 months. Lower extremity motor performance scores were significantly higher than for the upper extremity from 1 to 12 months (p <.01 at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 months; and p <.05 at the remaining months). Conclusions: The potential for long-term improvement in motor performance after stroke was observed, suggesting that this can be harnessed by long-term rehabilitation efforts. The comparatively poorer outcome in the upper extremity indicates the need for extra rehabilitation strategies to enhance upper-extremity motor recovery in the first year of stroke. Copyright © Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment 2014.