Effects of body weight-supported Tai Chi Yunshou training on upper limb motor function in stroke patients: A three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To form a unique body weight support-Tai Chi Yunshou (BWS-TCY) training method, apply it to the treatment of upper limb dysfunction after stroke, and provide a new safe and effective treatment method for the clinic.

Methods: A total of 93 subjects were recruited and randomly divided into conventional rehabilitation treatment (CRT) group, BWS-TCY group and traditional robot-assisted training (RAT) group in equal proportions. Subjects in the CRT group received 60 minutes of CRT daily. Subjects in the BWS-TCY group received 30 minutes of CRT and 30 minutes of BWS-TCY. Subjects in the RAT group received 30 minutes of CRT and 30 minutes of RAT. All interventions were conducted 5 days per week for 12 weeks. Outcome assessments included the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity Motor Function Assessment (FMA-UE), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), absolute angular error (AAE), joint range of motion (JMA), modified Barthel Index (MBI), and stroke-related quality of life. Table (SS-QOL). Outcome measures were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks later, and statistical analyzes were performed using two-way repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results: After 12 weeks of intervention, significant improvements were observed in all evaluation indicators for the three groups of subjects compared to before the intervention. The upper limb motor function (FMA-UE and WMFT) and proprioception (AAE) showed time effects, time × group interaction effects, and group effects. When comparing the groups, the FMA-UE in the BWS-TCY group, as well as the WMFT and MBI, showed statistically significant differences compared to the CRT group (P<0.05), but not statistically significant compared to the RAT group (P>0.05). The AAE of the BWS-TCY group showed no statistical difference (P>0.05) when compared to the CRT group and RAT group. Furthermore, a time effect was observed on the rotation direction (P<0.05), and pairwise comparison between groups revealed that the BWS-TCY group performed better than both the CRT group and the RAT group. After 12 weeks of intervention, there were time effects and interaction effects between BWS-TCY and daily living activities (MBI) and quality of life (SS-QOL), but no group effect was observed. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in SS-QOL. However, there was a statistical difference (P<0.01) in MBI between the two groups.

Conclusions: The 12-week BWS-TCY intervention has been shown to effectively improve upper limb motor function.

Trial Registration: Retrospectively registered at chictr.org.cn on August 31, 2022 [ChiCTR2200063150] https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=176229.