The Reality of Virtual Reality In Stroke Rehabilitation

Objective: The SULCS is a new measure of upper limb capacity. We examine the relationship between the SULCS and measures of impairment (Upper Extremity Motricity Index, UE-MI) and activity limitation (Functional Independence Measure-Self Care, FIMsc). Design: Criterion standard, descriptive. Setting: Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Participants: Inpatients with stroke (nZ74) with a mean ageZ71( 14) years, National Institutes of Health Stroke ScaleZ 9( 7), median days post strokeZ 7, and 38% with left brain lesion. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s): All measures were performed at admission. Frequency distributions of assessment scores and correlations with the SULCS were analyzed. Results: The SULCS held strong relationships with the UE-MI (rhoZ.90, pZ.000) and FIMsc (rhoZ.77, pZ.000).Eleven and 12% of SULCS scores were at the highest and lowest values, respectivelywhile 30% and 19%of the UE-MI scores were at the highest and lowest value, respectively. Conclusions: The SULCS is strongly related to measures of impairment and activity limitations supporting its concurrent validity. Although both are brief and easy to administer, the UE-MI demonstrated a ceiling and floor effect compared to the SULCS. Results suggest the SULCS may be useful as a brief measure of upper extremity capacity for persons with stroke in the acute rehabilitation phase.