Progress in sensorimotor rehabilitative physical therapy programs for stroke patients

Table 1 Summary of conventional rehabilitation therapies with an emphasis on sensory inputs and outcomes

Treatment	Sensory inputs	Rationale	Sensory outcome	Result1
Bobath	Visual, verbal and tactile	Neurophysiology concept (emphasis on selective movement and postural control by key points of the body, with problem-solving training)	None	UL (-), LL (-)
Brunnstrom	Visual and cutaneous	Neurophysiology (an ordered, predictable, stepwise progression from initial flaccidity to stereotypical synergy and then to normal patterns of voluntary movements)	None	NA
PNF	Visual, tactile, verbal and proprioceptive	Neurophysiology concept (through the stimulation or relaxation of muscle groups combined with various sensory inputs in response to specific movement patterns to promote functional movement)	None	NA
Motor relearning	Visual, tactile and auditory	Neuropsychology (Active practice of context-specific motor task with well-designed motor and sensory components )	None	NA [UL (-) and LL (-) motor control with 3 RCTs]

¹Obtained from meta-analyses or systematic reviews. PNF: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation; -: Not better than the control group; LL: Lower limb; UL: Upper limb; NA: Not available; RCT: Randomized clinical trial.

Table 2 Comparison of the characteristics of sensory stimulation modalities and the rationales for recent advanced rehabilitation strategies and their outcomes

Treatment	Sensory modality	Rationale	Sensoryoutcome	Result1
Electrical stimulation	Proprioceptive and tactile	Neurophysiology/neuropsychology	Yes (+)	UL (+) for motor control, LL (+) for gait ability
Robotic therapy	Visual, auditory and proprioceptive	Neurophysiology/neuropsychology	None	UL (+) for motor control
Virtual reality	Visual and auditory	Neuropsychology	None	NA [UL (+/-) motor control with RCTs]
Intermittent compression	Tactile and proprioceptive	Neurophysiology	Yes (+)	NA [UL (+) motor control with RCTs]
CIMT	Visual and verbal	Neuropsychology	None	UL (+)
PBWSTT	Visual and proprioceptive	Neurophysiology/neuropsychology	None	LL (+) motor and gait function
Thermal stimulation	Hot and cold agent	Neurophysiology/neuropsychology	Yes (+)	NA [UL/LE (+) motor control with 5 RCTs]

¹Obtained from meta-analyses or systematic reviews. CIMT: Constraint-induced movement therapy; PBWSTT: Partial body weight-supported treadmill training; +: Positive effect; -: No better than the control group; LL: Lower limb; UL: Upper limb; NA: Not available; RCT: Randomized clinical trial.