Effect of Agonist Contract Relax Versus Antagonist Contract Relax in Chronic Stroke Patient.

University of Lahore

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke

Treatments: Other: Routine physical therapy; Other: antagonist contract relax; Other: agonist contract relax

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05957731

REC-UOL-246-04-2023

Details and patient eligibility

About

It will be a randomized control trial with 112 patients which will be divided into two groups of 56 patients in each group. Participants will recruit through convenient sampling techniques.

Outcome measures are range of motion and spasticity. The protocol was implemented three days per week for eight consecutive weeks. Data will be collected at baseline and 8 th week after intervention.

Full description

Objective of the study is to compare the effects of the agonist contract-relax technique versus the antagonist contract-relax technique on spasticity and range of motion in individuals with chronic stroke.

Null hypothesis (H0):

There are no comparative effects of agonist contact-relax technique and the antagonist contract-relax technique on spasticity and ankle range of motion in chronic patients.

The alternate hypothesis (HA):

There are comparative effects of agonist contract-relax technique and the antagonist contract-relax technique on spasticity and ankle range of motion in chronic stroke patients.

The sample size came out to 94 (47 in each group) after adding 20% dropout the sample size was 47+9=56 in each group.

Enrollment: 112 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 40 to 60 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke by a neurologist.
• Inclusion of patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
• Both male and female patients are eligible.
• Age range between 40 to 60 years.
• Modified Ashworth Scale ranging from 0 to 2.
• Minimum muscle strength grade of 3

Exclusion criteria

• History of surgery on lower limb
• Who received injection therapies for reducing spasticity
• Lower extremity contracture
• Modified Ashworth scale of 3-4

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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112 participants in 2 patient groups

Agonist Contract-relax group:

Experimental group

Description:

In the agonist contract-relax group, participants were positioned in a supine position. A trained physiotherapist then passively dorsiflexed the ankle to its maximum available range and held it for 15 seconds, while ensuring that the knee remained straight by placing a hand on it. Following this, participants were instructed to perform a maximal voluntary isometric 35 contraction of the planter flexors for five seconds, while maintaining the stretched position. After a 30-second rest period, the physiotherapist returned the ankle to the starting position of 0 degrees and repeat the procedure without any rest. This stretching protocol was repeated four times, with each repetition lasting 2 minutes. For the soleus muscles, the same procedure was performed, but with a slightly flexed initial position of the knee.

Treatment:

Other: agonist contract relax

Other: Routine physical therapy

Antagonist contract-relax group:

Experimental group

Description:

In the antagonist stretching groups, participants were positioned in a supine position. A trained physiotherapist stretched the antagonist\'s muscle, and then participants were instructed to perform a maximal voluntary isometric contraction of dorsiflexion for 5 seconds while maintaining a stretched position. The knee was kept straight during this contraction. Following the contraction, the physiotherapist held the ankle at that angle for another 10 seconds by placing a hand on it. After a 30-second rest period, the physiotherapist returned the ankle to the starting position of 0 degrees and repeat the procedure without any rest intervals.

Treatment:

Other: antagonist contract relax

Other: Routine physical therapy