Article

Kinematic assessment of upper limb motor recovery after stroke may be
related to clinical scores while being more sensitive and reliable than clinical
evaluation alone. OBJECTIVE: To identify the potential of kinematics in assessing
upper limb recovery early poststroke. METHODS: Thirteen patients were included
within 1 month poststroke and evaluated once a week for 6 weeks and at 3 months
with (a) the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and (b) kinematic analysis of
reach-to-grasp movements. The link between clinical and kinematic data was
identified using mixed model with random coefficient analysis. RESULTS: Movement
time, trajectory length, directness, smoothness, mean and maximum velocity of the
hand were sensitive to change over time and distinguished between movements of
paretic, nonparetic, and healthy control limbs. The FMA score increased with
movement smoothness over time, explaining 62.5% of FMA variability. CONCLUSION:
Kinematic analysis of reach-to-grasp movements is relevant to assess upper limb
recovery early poststroke, and is linked to the FMA. Kinematics could provide
more accurate real-time indicators of patients' recovery as compared with the
sole use of clinical scores, although it remains challenging to establish the
universality of the reaching model in relation to motor recovery after stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS