EFFECT OF PROPRIOCEPTIVE NEUROMUSCULAR FACILITATION COMBINED WITH CONVENTIONAL PHYSIOTHERAPY ON MOTOR RECOVERY AND FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE IN PATIENTS WITH STROKE: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of using Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) in conjunction with conventional physiotherapy for improving motor function and independence in patients with stroke. Methods: The randomized controlled study involved 40 stroke patients assigned evenly into two groups; experimental (n=20) undergoing treatment with PNF together with physiotherapy, and control (n=20) undergoing physiotherapy alone. The treatment was provided for six weeks, five days each week, with each session taking 45-60 minutes. Motor recovery was measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and functional independence using the Barthel Index (BI). Differences between groups in terms of changes in score values were compared using independent samples t-test. Results: Improvements were observed in both the groups after the intervention. In terms of FMA score, the experimental group improved more with mean of 10.60 ± 2.58 compared to the control group's 6.53 ± 2.67 (t = 4.899, p < 0.001). Likewise, in terms of BI score, the experimental group improved with mean of 14.34 ± 5.63 compared to the control group's 7.76 ± 2.31 (t = 4.842, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Conventional physiotherapy combined with PNF resulted in better motor recovery and functional independence as compared to conventional physiotherapy alone within six weeks. Thus, PNF can be regarded as complementary therapy rather than replacement for conventional stroke therapy.