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. 2018 May/Jun;72(3):7203205100p1-7203205100p10.
doi: 10.5014/ajot.2018.025114.

Effects of Somatosensory Impairment on Participation After Stroke

Leeanne M Carey  1 , Thomas A Matyas  2 , Carolyn Baum  3
Affiliations

Effects of Somatosensory Impairment on Participation After Stroke

Leeanne M Carey et al. Am J Occup Ther. 2018 May/Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Our objective was to determine the effect of loss of body sensation on activity participation in stroke survivors.

Method: Participants (N = 268) were assessed at hospital admission for somatosensory and motor impairment using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. Participation was assessed using the Activity Card Sort (ACS) in the postacute phase. Between-group differences in activity participation were analyzed for participants with and without somatosensory impairment and with or without paresis.

Results: Somatosensory impairment was experienced in 33.6% of the sample and paresis in 42.9%. ACS profiles were obtained at a median of 222 days poststroke. Somatosensory loss alone (z = 1.96, p = .048) and paresis in upper and lower limbs without sensory loss (z = 4.62, p < .001) influenced activity participation.

Conclusion: Somatosensory impairment is associated with reduced activity participation; however, paresis of upper and lower limbs can mask the contribution of sensory loss.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Box plots showing overall percentage of retained activity scores poststroke as measured by the Activity Card Sort (ACS) in six groups of stroke survivors classified according to somatosensory impairment and paresis. Boxes indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles (i.e., the interquartile range [IQR]). The median (50th percentile) is represented by a line across and within the box. The whiskers extend from the upper and lower edges of the box to the highest and lowest values that are not greater than 1.5 times the IQR above or below the box limits. Outliers, represented by open circles, locate cases with values that deviate more than 1.5 times the IQR above or below the box limits.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Box plots illustrating distributions of percentage of retained activity scores of the Activity Card Sort (ACS) domains. Light gray bars represent groups without somatosensory loss; dark gray bars indicate groups with sensory loss. Median values are rounded to the nearest integer value. Outliers, represented by open circles, indicate cases with values that deviate from the median by more than 1.5 to 3 times the IQR. Extreme outliers (values >3 times the IQR) are indicated by solid circles.
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References

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