Background/Aims
Impairments in upper limb sensation are prevalent among stroke survivors, with proprioception characteristically impaired. Yet, quantitative, standardized measures of proprioception available for clinical use are currently limited. The aims of this study were to characterize proprioceptive impairment in individuals after stroke using the Wrist Position Sense Test (WPST) in a relatively large pooled sample, to re-establish the criterion of abnormality of the WPST, and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a brief test version.
Methods
Baseline data from stroke survivors (n=205) and neurologically healthy controls (n=93) assessed on the WPST was extracted from six studies. Raw data were pooled and analysed to determine an updated criterion of impairment and ability of a brief test version to detect proprioceptive impairment.
Results
Proprioceptive impairment was common for the contralesional hand (66%) and present in the ipsilesional hand (21%). The criterion of abnormality was established as 11.1 degrees average error. High sensitivity and specificity were found for the briefer version of the WPST (20 vs 10 trials), with 85.3% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity.
Conclusion
The updated criterion of abnormality and high sensitivity and specificity of the brief test version support use of the WPST in clinical practice settings.