Myotonometric and Postural Analysis in Patients with Post-Stroke Hemiparesis Included in a Rehabilitation Program: A Study Protocol

This observational study aims to assess both the posture and muscle tone characteristics of the upper and lower limbs in patients with hemiparesis following a cerebrovascular accident. Measurements will be taken comparatively between the affected and non-affected sides. The study will include patients with both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes. Assessments will be conducted at months 1, 3, and 6 after the stroke event. In order to ensure the homogeneity of the study group, all patients will follow a physical exercise program tailored to their clinical stage of recovery. Myotonometric evaluation will be performed using the Myoton PRO Digital Palpation Device, which allows the assessment of muscle tone, elasticity, dynamic stiffness, tension state, relaxation time, and deformation ratio during muscle relaxation. Postural assessment will be conducted using the GaitON device by Auptimo. In addition to these instrumental evaluations, the following clinical scales will be applied: the Modified Ashworth Scale, Barthel Index, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and the Modified Rankin Scale. Based on the three successive evaluations (at one, three, and six months after stroke event) we expect that with the spasticity decrease and the improvement of the posture of patients participating in the physical exercise program, both the objectively assessed parameters and the scores obtained from clinical scales will evolve in favor of better functioning.