What happened?
A 54-year-old South Asian man developed left-sided hemiplegia following a right gangliocapsular stroke. The report focused on scapular alignment and upper-limb function, which can be affected after stroke alongside more obvious limb weakness.
Clinical findings
- The patient had left-sided hemiplegia following a right gangliocapsular haemorrhage involving the internal capsule.
- The report assessed scapular alignment, upper-limb function and functional independence.
- Outcome measures included a palpation meter, Fugl–Meyer Assessment of the Upper Extremity and Functional Independence Measure.
Rehabilitation described in the report
- The physiotherapy programme ran for four weeks, five days per week, with sessions of 60 minutes.
- Scapular and upper-limb proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation patterns were combined with conventional physiotherapy.
- D1 and D2 flexion and extension patterns were applied from side-lying and progressed to sitting, using rhythmic initiation and repeated contractions.
Reported outcomes
- After four weeks, the authors reported improvement in muscle tone and scapular alignment measures.
- The report also described improvement in Fugl–Meyer upper-extremity and Functional Independence Measure scores.
Clinical lessons to consider
- The case emphasizes assessment of scapular positioning as part of upper-limb rehabilitation after stroke.
- The authors combined targeted PNF patterns with conventional physiotherapy rather than presenting the technique as a stand-alone treatment.
Limitations — what this case cannot tell us
- This is a single case report and cannot determine whether PNF alone caused the observed changes.
- The authors call for further research with larger samples; the programme's dose and applicability should not be generalized automatically.
Original source
Akshaya Saklecha, Moh’d Irshad Quershi, Raghumahanti Raghuveer, Pallavi Harjpal. “Targeting scapular muscles with facilitatory movement patterns to improve upper extremity function in gangliocapsular stroke: a case report.” Journal of Medical Case Reports, 2024. DOI: 10.1186/s13256-024-04929-x
View the original publicationThis page is an independently written educational summary, not a reproduction of the full paper. Check the original article for complete methods, outcome tables, references and licensing.