Effect of Body Awarness Therapy on Balance and Coordination in Stroke

Impairment of balance stability is common in stroke patients. Patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA) present mainly with asymmetric standing balance that affects their stability limits, and leads to major difficulty in functional independence. A reduction in maintaining balance is one of the major element that adversely affect after stroke. Coordination is another important factor, which allows a person to perform purposeful movement. After cerebrovascular accidents mainly impairment in coordination may be an element in mobility and movement limitations. Restoring the coordinated movement after cerebrovascular accident in important in regaining normal living activities. Those patients who survive from stroke may experience instant changes in thinking, language, balance, coordination, proprioception, body functions and quality of life. Stroke rehabilitation is the restoring functions of the impaired body regions and it is a long and time taking process, both for patients and for rehabilitation teams. Body awareness therapy (BAT) is a physiotherapeutic restorative approach that examine the patient's condition and focus towards relearning self-awareness movements. Body awareness therapy helps in strengthening the patient and also performing in activities of daily living (ADLs). A basic movement is stimulation of center line by weight shifting from right towards left and rotatory movements around the center of body and vice versa. Movements can be achieved in supine, sitting and standing position. Unfortunately, no randomized controlled trial (RCT) study has so far evaluated the effect of body awareness therapy (BAT) on balance and coordination in stroke survivals. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess BAT on balance and coordination in patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA).