Principles into Practice: An Observational Study of Physiotherapists use of Motor Learning Principles in Stroke Rehabilitation.

Objective(s): To describe a) how motor learning principles are applied during post stroke physiotherapy, with a focus on lower limb rehabilitation; and b) the context in which these principles are used, in relation to patient and/or task characteristics.

Design: Direct non-participation observation of routine physiotherapy sessions, with data collected via video recording. A structured analysis matrix and pre-agreed definitions were used to identify, count and record: type of activity; repetitions; instructional and feedback statements (frequency and type); strategies such as observational learning and augmented feedback.