Association of Long-Term Treatment by Botulinum Neurotoxins and Occupational Therapy with Subjective Physical Status in Patients with Post-Stroke Hemiplegia

The short-term effects of botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) treatment in stroke patients with upper extremity are well established. This study examined the association between the recovery of motor function of the upper extremity with subjective physical symptoms in outpatients receiving long-term BoNT-A and occupational therapy following stroke. We also investigated the expectations of patients who elected to continue treatment. Forty-seven patients (23 men and 24 women) aged 61 years received BoNT-A treatment more than 20 times. The subjective physical status was analyzed by using the visual analogue scale score through an eight-item questionnaire. Recovery of motor function in the upper extremity was detected by calculating the change (delta) in Fugl-Mayer Assessment (FMA), and ordinal logistic modeling analysis was used to determine the association between the delta-FMA score and the subjective level of agreement for each item. When the ordinal logistic modeling fit was statistically significant, results were interpreted as having logistic probability. The logistic curves discriminating one point (strongly disagree) from five points (strongly agree) were fit in a stepwise fashion. This study suggests that patients receiving long-term BoNT-A treatment and occupational therapy experienced an increased upper extremity mitigation and decreased insomnia after injection, regardless of the recovery of motor function.