ArticleFrontiers in neurology2023
Variation in the rate of recovery in motor function between the upper and lower limbs in patients with stroke: some proposed hypotheses and their implications for research and practice.
Article in Frontiers in neurology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Reliability of muscle architecture assessment using clinical ultrasound in post-stroke patients: a systematic review.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of exercise training on dysfunction in acute, subacute, and chronic stroke patients.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Trial
- Clinical and neurophysiological effects of manual acupuncture for upper-limb motor dysfunction after ischemic stroke: a three-arm randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2026Trial
- Effects of modified-constraint induced movement therapy based telerehabilitation on upper extremity motor functions in stroke patients.Brain and behavior · 2024Trial
- Data-driven upper limb sensorimotor recovery prediction in patients with stroke: A prospective cohort study.MethodsX · 2026Article
- Long-term integrative personalized medicine care in massive brainstem hemorrhage: A CARE-compliant case report.Medicine · 2026Article
- Prognostic factors for pain relief after CT-guided radiofrequency ablation of osteoid osteoma: a 13-year retrospective study.Skeletal radiology · 2026Article
- Motor Function Profiling and Its Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Stroke Survivors.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2026Article
- Effects of functional electrical stimulation on cognition rate and gait in neurological patients during single- and dual-task walking.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Factors influencing virtual reality use in paediatric acquired brain injury upper limb rehabilitation: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2025Article
- Pathophysiology and Management Strategies for Post-Stroke Spasticity: An Update Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Modulation of cerebral cortex activity by acupuncture combined with continuous theta-burst stimulation in post-stroke upper limb spasticity: an fNIRS study.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- An Exploration of Self-Efficacy and Its Associated Factors among Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients in Taiwan.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Stroke results in impairment of motor function of both the upper and lower limbs. However, although it is debatable, motor function of the lower limb is believed to recover faster than that of the upper limb. The aim of this paper is to propose some hypotheses to explain the reasons for that, and discuss their implications for research and practice. Method: We searched PubMED, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase and CENTRAL using the key words, stroke, cerebrovascular accident, upper extremity, lower extremity, and motor recovery for relevant literature. Result: The search generated a total of 2,551 hits. However, out of this number, 51 duplicates were removed. Following review of the relevant literature, we proposed four hypotheses: natural instinct for walking hypothesis, bipedal locomotion hypothesis, central pattern generators (CPGs) hypothesis and role of spasticity hypothesis on the subject matter. Conclusion: We opine that, what may eventually account for the difference, is the frequency of use of the affected limb or intensity of the rehabilitation intervention. This is because, from the above hypotheses, the lower limb seems to be used more frequently. When limbs are used frequently, this will result in use-dependent plasticity and eventual recovery. Thus, rehabilitation techniques that involve high repetitive tasks practice such as robotic rehabilitation, Wii gaming and constraint induced movement therapy should be used during upper limb rehabilitation.
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Registered trials
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