Relationships between body symmetry during weight-bearing and functional reach among chronic hemiparetic patients

Background: Postural control is often impaired in hemiparetic patients. During upright stance, hemiparetic subjects sway more than subjects with an unaffected hemibody, and they assume asymmetrical postures to place less weight on the affected side. Objective: To analyze functional reach and dependence on support devices among people with chronic hemiparesis and to investigate the relationships between displacements of functional reach and weight-bearing symmetry during upright stance. Methods: Fourteen participants with hemiparesis, classified as dependent on support devices or independent from them, were included in experimental procedures to record functional reach displacements and symmetry values. Results: No significant differences were found between the dependent and independent participants for any variable. However, when weight-bearing occurred on the unaffected side, the greatest displacements were significantly correlated with the most asymmetrical hemiparetic participants. Conclusion: Symmetry did not contribute to functional reach or independence from support devices among participants with hemiparesis. Article registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry under the number ACTRN12609000267257.