Effects of Elastic Tape in Shoulder Movements in Hemiparetic Subjects

The stroke is the second cause of death and the first of disabilities in the world. Although a motor spontaneous recovery is observed, around 50 to 70% of the hemiparetic upper extremity present alterations of upper extremity, limiting the performance of daily activities even after 2 to 4 years of strokes. More recently used in neurological rehabilitation, the ability to promote sensory-motor facilitation is given to the Elastic Tape (ET). However, its safety and efficacy in the treatment of post-stroke individuals still require further investigation. Thus, the objective of this project is to evaluate the immediate effects of ET, applied to the paretic shoulder on proprioception during movements of abduction and flexion of the shoulder and muscle activation and kinematic variables for the reaching in chronic hemiparetic. Fifteen subjects with chronic hemiparesis will participate these crossover sham-controlled trial. Participants will be randomized into two condition: elastic tape (ET) followed by sham tape (ST- strapping) or ST followed by ET. One month of washout period was considered. The motor impairment and the dominance before stroke will be evaluated by Fugl-Meyer scale and the Inventory Side dominance of Edinburgh, respectively. ET will apply deltoid (anterior, middle and posterior). Assessment before and after the application of ET will be performed. For proprioception assessment (joint position sense) will be evaluated using a dynamometer. Absolute error for shoulder abduction and flexion at the 30° and 60° was calculated. For the assessment of motor performance in a functional task (reach a glass of water), spatio-temporal parameters (total duration of the motion, peak velocity, time to peak velocity) and three-dimensional joint kinematics of the trunk, scapula, shoulder, and elbow (total range of motion, joint angle maximum and minimum) will be used. Concomitantly, bilateral activation of the deltoid (anterior, middle and posterior), trapezius (upper and