Study of adjusted rapid upper limb assessment for evaluating of rehabilitation effects

Abstract

As it is well-known, the stroke is known to be a cerebrovascular disease due to circulation disorders. Physical disabilities do remain due to nerve damages after strokes occur. These physical disabilities of the patient can be reduced by the rehabilitation treatment. This effect of rehabilitation appears with improvements of motor function. In order to evaluate the improvements of this motor function, therapists have used Fugl-Meyer assessment method (FMA). FMA method consists of fifty command motions such as thirty three command motions for motor function's assessment of upper limbs and seventeen command motions for lower limbs. Further FMA method suggests three scores per each command motions. So to speak, in the FMA method, if the patients perform perfectly a given command motion, then they receive 2 points in a given command motion. Also if the patients cannot perform, they receive 0 point. Finally, if the patients perform partially, they receive 1 point. FMA method has a limit that cannot suggest exact assessments of the recovering patients. For the example, improvements of motor function of a patient cannot be evaluated from the initial stroke to full recovery. So it is hard to accurate diagnosis about patient's improvement. On the other hands, rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) method is suggested to evaluate the fatigue of muscle in a working environment. This RULA method suggests more detailed and quantitative assessment with diagnostic approaches than FMA method. © (2015) Trans Tech Publications.