Effects of Upper Extremity Physiotherapy and Home Exercises on Functional Outcomes in Individuals With Stroke

October 29, 2026 updated by: Istanbul Gelisim University

The Effect of a Physiotherapy Program Developed for the Upper Extremity in Hemiplegic İndividuals on Daily Living aAtivities and Quality of Life.

This study aims to investigate the effects of an upper extremity physiotherapy program combined with home exercises on activities of daily living, quality of life, joint range of motion, and pain in individuals with hemiplegia following stroke.

The study compares two groups: participants receiving supervised physiotherapy in addition to a home exercise program and participants performing a home exercise program only. The intervention includes stretching, range-of-motion exercises, arm ergometer training, progressive strengthening, coordination exercises, and fine motor activities.

The intervention period lasts 10 weeks. Outcomes are assessed using the Barthel Index, Short Form-36 (SF-36), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), goniometric measurements, and sensory assessments.

The study aims to evaluate whether adding supervised physiotherapy to home exercises provides additional benefits for upper extremity rehabilitation following stroke.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

42

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

  • Name: Gülşen Yıldız, Bachelor of Science - Lisans
  • Phone Number: +90 551 220 29 09
  • Email: gulsen.997178@gmail.com

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Avrasya Hospital Gaziosmanpaşa and zeytinburnu
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Gülşen Yıldız, BSc
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Avrasya Hospital- Gaziosmanpaşa and Zeytinburnu
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Gülşen Yıldız, Bsc

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

30 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Diagnosis of stroke.
  • Age greater than 30 and less than 65 years.
  • Time since stroke between 1 and 5 years.
  • Voluntary participation in the study and treatment.
  • Upper extremity Brunnstrom recovery stage 2 or 3.
  • Ability to understand and perform the prescribed exercise program.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unwillingness to continue participation in the study or treatment.
  • Irregular attendance at scheduled treatment sessions.
  • Upper extremity contracture severe enough to prevent exercise performance or range of motion assessment.
  • Spasticity severe enough to prevent safe and effective upper extremity exercise performance.
  • Failure to perform the prescribed home exercises regularly.
  • Development of an additional disease or medical condition affecting upper extremity function during the study.

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: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Physiotherapy and Home Exercise Group

Participants in this group receive supervised upper extremity physiotherapy twice a week for 45 minutes over 10 weeks, in addition to a home exercise program. The physiotherapy program includes stretching, passive and active-assisted range-of-motion exercises, arm ergometer training, progressive resistance exercises using Theraband and dumbbells, coordination exercises, and fine motor activities. The home exercise program is performed five days per week, twice daily for 30 minutes per session.
Behavioral: Supervised Upper Extremity Physiotherapy Program

Participants in the intervention group receive a 10-week rehabilitation program consisting of supervised upper extremity physiotherapy twice weekly for 45 minutes per session and a structured home exercise program on three non-treatment days per week. The home exercise program is identical in content to that of the control group and includes upper extremity range-of-motion exercises, stretching, wall exercises, light resistance exercises using towels, Theraband and water bottles, hand-eye coordination training, and fine motor activities. Home exercises are performed twice daily for 30 minutes per session, with 10 repetitions of each exercise. Supervised physiotherapy includes stretching, passive, active-assisted and active range-of-motion exercises, wand exercises, arm ergometer training, progressive strengthening using Theraband and 0.5 kg dumbbells, coordination exercises, and fine motor activities.

Behavioral: Home Exercise Program

Participants in the control group perform a structured home exercise program five days per week for 10 weeks. The program includes upper extremity range-of-motion exercises, stretching, wall exercises, light resistance exercises using towels, Theraband and water bottles, hand-eye coordination exercises, and fine motor activities. The exercises are performed twice daily for 30 minutes per session, with 10 repetitions of each exercise. The content of the home exercise program is the same as that prescribed to the intervention group. No supervised physiotherapy sessions are provided to the control group.
Active Comparator: Home Exercise Group

physiotherapy sessions. The program includes upper extremity range-of-motion exercises, stretching, wall exercises, light resistance exercises using towels, Theraband and water bottles, hand-eye coordination exercises, and fine motor activities. Exercises are performed five days per week, twice daily for 30 minutes per session, with 10 repetitions of each exercise.
Behavioral: Home Exercise Program

Participants in the control group perform a structured home exercise program five days per week for 10 weeks. The program includes upper extremity range-of-motion exercises, stretching, wall exercises, light resistance exercises using towels, Theraband and water bottles, hand-eye coordination exercises, and fine motor activities. The exercises are performed twice daily for 30 minutes per session, with 10 repetitions of each exercise. The content of the home exercise program is the same as that prescribed to the intervention group. No supervised physiotherapy sessions are provided to the control group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Barthel Index Score
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

The Barthel Index is used to assess independence in activities of daily living. Total scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater functional independence. Changes in Barthel Index scores from baseline to the end of the 10-week intervention are compared between the intervention and control groups.
Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)
Change in SF-36 Quality of Life Scores
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

The SF-36 is used to assess health-related quality of life across eight domains. Scores for each domain range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life. Changes in scores from baseline to the end of the 10-week intervention are compared between the two groups.
Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Upper Extremity Range of Motion (ROM)
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

Upper extremity range of motion is assessed using a goniometer. Measurements include shoulder flexion, extension and abduction; elbow flexion and extension; and wrist flexion and extension. Range of motion is recorded in degrees (°), with higher values indicating greater joint mobility. Changes from baseline to Week 10 are compared between the two groups.
Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)
Change in Pain Intensity Measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

Pain intensity is assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 10-cm scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity. Changes in VAS scores from baseline to the end of the 10-week intervention are compared between the intervention and control groups.
Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)
Change in Upper Extremity Sensory Function
Time Frame: Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

Upper extremity sensory function is assessed using superficial, deep, and cortical sensory tests, including temperature discrimination, sharp-dull discrimination, joint position sense (proprioception), and stereognosis. Changes in sensory function from baseline to Week 10 are evaluated in both groups.
Baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 10)

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Istanbul Gelisim University

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Hande B Besna Göçen, PhD, Istanbul Gelisim University

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 (Estimated)

November 2, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 11, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 20, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 4, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 29, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STROKE-UE-2025-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not 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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