Effect of Gross Motor Group Exercise on Functional Status in Chronic Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to understand the effects of task-oriented grossmotor group exercise based on motor development on chronic stroke patients’ joint, bone,muscle, and motor functions and activities of daily living. [Subjects] Twenty-eight strokepatients hospitalized at P municipal nursing facility for the severely handicapped wererandomly assigned to the gross motor group exercise group (experimental group, n=14) orthe control group (n=14). [Methods] The two groups performed morning exercise led by atrainer for 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week for 6 weeks in total. The experimental groupperformed a gross motor group exercise in addition to this exercise for 50 minutes a day,3 times a week for 6 weeks in total. Before the experiment, all subjects were measuredwith the Modified Barthel Index (MBI) and for their neuromuscular skeletal andmotor-related functions according to the International Classification of Functioning,Disability and Health. [Results] Significant improvements were found in the experimentalgroup’s neuromusculoskeletal and motor-related functions and MBI test, except for thestability of joint functions. The control group showed no significant difference from theinitial evaluation. [Conclusion] The gross motor group exercise based on motor developmentis recommended for chronic stroke patients with severe handicaps.