Guitar lessons can aid stroke recovery – UP

MANILA, Philippines — A University of the Philippines (UP) study has found that a guitar-based rehabilitation program can improve hand function in chronic stroke patients at levels comparable to traditional occupational therapy.

Designed to evaluate how guitar instruction stacks up against conventional therapy, the randomized controlled trial enrolled 34 chronic stroke patients with unilateral hand impairment.

Participants were assigned either to a guitar-lesson intervention group or to a control group undergoing standard occupational therapy.

Each patient completed eight one-hour sessions over four weeks, conducted in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine’s treatment rooms at Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

Researchers assessed hand function before and after treatment using measurements of range of motion, grip and pinch strength and standardized tests.

According to the authors, comparison of passive and active ROM changes “showed no statistically significant difference” between the control and intervention groups.

The study further noted that functional improvements in the impaired hand were likewise statistically similar, “except for an observed greater improvement with the control group in motor coordination.”

Despite this, the researchers emphasized that overall therapeutic gains were comparable, stating that the results indicate “improvement in hand function using the guitar lesson was comparable to that from traditional occupational therapy.”