Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants
| Characteristics | All n = 37 | Group | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Experimental group n = 12 | Control group 1 n = 11 | Control group 2 n = 14 | ||
| Age (year), mean (SD) | 59 (14) | 62 (9) | 58 (17) | 58 (14) |
| Sex, n male (%) | 26 (70) | 9 (75) | 7 (64) | 10 (71) |
| Side of hemiplegia, n left (%) | 23 (62) | 9 (75) | 6 (55) | 8 (57) |
| Type of neurological condition, n (%) | ||||
| Stroke | 33 (89) | 11 (92) | 10 (91) | 12 (86) |
| Multiple sclerosis | 1 (3) | 1 (8) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Traumatic brain injury | 3 (8) | 0 (0) | 1 (9) | 2 (14) |
| Time post-stroke (mth), mean (SD) | 50 (54) | 36 (49) | 80 (69) | 38 (37) |
| Living situation, n in nursing home (%) | 2 (5) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (14) |
| Spastic limb, n upper limb (%) | 26 (70) | 9 (75) | 6 (55) | 11 (79) |
| Goal Attainment Score, t-score mean (SD) | 23 (0) | 23 (0) | 23 (0) | 23 (0) |
| Spasticity (Mod Tardieu Scale 0–4), n (%) | ||||
| (2) Clear catch at a precise angle, interrupting the passive movement, followed by release | 28 (76) | 7 (58) | 10 (91) | 11 (79) |
| (3) Fatigable clonus (10 s when maintaining pressure) occurring at a precise angle | 7 (19) | 4 (33) | 0 (0) | 3 (21) |
| (4) Unfatigable clonus (> 10 s when maintaining pressure) occurring at a precise angle | 2 (5) | 1 (8) | 1 (9) | 0 (0) |
| Pain (EQ-5D), n (%) | ||||
| None | 16 (43) | 4 (33) | 5 (45) | 7 (50) |
| Moderate | 18 (49) | 8 (67) | 4 (36) | 6 (43) |
| Severe | 3 (8) | 0 (0) | 2 (18) | 1 (7) |
| Mobility (EQ-5D), n (%) | ||||
| No problems | 5 (8) | 2 (8) | 2 (8) | 1 (8) |
| Some problems | 29 (8) | 9 (8) | 9 (8) | 11 (8) |
| Severe problems | 3 (8) | 1 (8) | 0 (8) | 2 (8) |
| Quality of life (EQ-5D VAS, 0–100), mean (SD) | 60 (21) | 68 (22) | 55 (24) | 58 (17) |
Exp experimental group (botulinum toxin-A plus intensive therapy), Con 1 control group 1 (botulinum toxin-A only), Con 2 control group 2 (intensive therapy only)