Relationship of balance and functional independence among chronic middle cerebral artery stroke patients

Background: In global acute care settings, stroke is the second most common cause of mortality and morbidity, balance dysfunction and dependency on care are recurrent themes among clients with middle cerebral artery stroke. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish relationship between balance and level of functional independence among chronic middle cerebral stroke patients. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted after getting ethical approval (LCPT/DPT/23/947) from Lahore College of Physical Therapy in Gurkhi Hospital, General Hospital and Ittefaq Hospital. The sample of 127 patients in the age group of 45-65; diagnosed with mild/moderate stroke, during rehabilitation at 6-12 months post-stroke. The Berg Balance Scale was employed in this study for describing balance and the Functional Independence Measure for independence in activities. SPSS version 26 was used for data analysis. Results: The patients’ average age was 54.36±2.93 years, and 38.6% were 51-55 years old. Of these 72.4% were male and 27.6% were female. The mean Functional Independence Measure (FIM) motor of 57.65±8.65 and cognitive of 27.40±3.02; Berg Balance Scale mean was 31.82±5.00. Berg Balance Scale had significant positive relationship with the motor (t = 0.649, p < 0.05) and cognitive component (r = 0.403, p = 0.00) and total FIM (t = 0.625, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The study found that balance and functional independence, both motor and cognitive, are significantly correlated in chronic stroke patients, indicating that balance disturbances strongly influence functional capacity.