Investigation of the Effects of Task-Oriented Circuit Training on Upper Extremity Motor Function in Stroke Patients

February 23, 2026 updated by: Sefa Eldemir, Gazi University
Stroke is a disease characterized by symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body, speech impairment or inability to understand spoken language, vision problems, and loss of balance, walking, and coordination, resulting from a disruption in cerebral circulation that prevents oxygenation and nourishment of brain tissue. Currently, treatment approaches that adopt motor learning principles after stroke are fundamentally based on motor learning, neural plasticity, biomechanics, and the systems model of motor control. Task-Oriented Training (TOT), one of these treatment approaches, is used in the physiotherapy process for neurological diseases, and there is significant clinical evidence regarding the benefits of TOT. While the effects of TOT in physiotherapy have been primarily studied on balance and walking, there are a limited number of studies examining its effects on upper extremity function. Task-Oriented Circuit Training (TOCT) is a task-oriented training program consisting of 15 exercise stations where task-oriented training is applied in the form of exercise stations. TOCT improved upper extremity skills in Parkinson's patients. However, no study examines its effects on stroke. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of TOCT on upper extremity motor functions and dual-task performance in stroke patients.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is a randomized controlled study. The patients will be randomly divided into two groups exercise and control. Both groups will receive standard physiotherapy and rehabilitation exercises aimed at improving balance, gait, mobility, and upper extremity function, as well as standard occupational therapy exercises for the upper extremities. Additionally, the TOCT group will receive 18 one-on-one TOCT training sessions, 3 days a week, for 6 weeks. TOCT will be formed from daily life activities such as reaching out, grasping, writing, and manual skills, which are frequently used in daily life. As the outcome measures, disease severity, disability, and manual dexterity will be evaluated.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

24

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Having received a stroke diagnosis for the first time
  • Having received a stroke diagnosis at least 1 month ago
  • Being between 18-65 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Having the following degree of active joint movement in the wrist and fingers (These conditions are necessary for patients to have the minimum hand dexterity to perform TOCT exercises)
  • At least 20° extension starting from full flexion in the wrist
  • At least 10° extension or abduction in the thumb
  • At least 10° extension in the metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the other fingers

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Test Group
The group that will receive task-oriented training
Other: Exercise-TOCT
Both groups will receive exercise-based training
Experimental: Control Group
The control group will receive standard occupational therapy exercises for the upper extremities.
Other: Exercise- standard
Standard occupational therapy exercises

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Manual dexterity performance - Baseline
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Nine Hole Peg test (9-HPT)
Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Manual dexterity performance - Post intervention
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Nine Hole Peg test (9-HPT)
Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Finger and hand function - Baseline
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT)
Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Finger and hand function - Post intervention
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT)
Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Upper extremity performance (coordination, dexterity and functioning) - Baseline
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT)
Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Upper extremity performance (coordination, dexterity and functioning) - Post intervention
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Action Research Arm Test (ARAT)
Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Grip muscle strength
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Hand dynamometer
Assessment will be conducted before the intervention
Grip muscle strength
Time Frame: Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention
Hand dynamometer
Assessment will be conducted immediately after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Gazi University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 13, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

April 13, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

May 13, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

February 23, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 25, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 23, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 8- STROKE-UE-TOCT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There is not a plan to make data but when the statistical analysis of all data is made, all results will be shared.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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