Effects of core strengthening and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique on the Barthel index and balance in patients with hemiplegic stroke –a quasi-experimental study Authors Qandeel Yousaf Department of Physical Therapy, Imran Idrees Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Sialkot Medical College, Sialkot, Pakistan Rabiiya Noor College of Rehabilitation and Allied Health Sciences, Riphah International University, Lahore, Pakistan Imran Ghafoor Riphah College of Rehabilitation Sciences Lahore, Pakistan DOI: https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.7903 Keywords: Activity of daily living, Berg Balance Scale, Barthel Index, Core strengthening, Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, Stroke Abstract Objective: To determine the effectiveness of core strengthening exercises and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques on functional performance and balance among patients with haemiplegic stroke. Method: The quasi-experimental study was conducted from March to August 2021 at Imran Idrees Hospital, Sialkot, Pakistan, and comprised stroke patients of either gender who were divided into proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation group A and core strengthening group B. In both groups, the treatment was given for 6 weeks with 5 30-minute sessions per week. Functional performance and balance were measured using Barthel Index and Berg Balance Scale. Data were collected at baseline, 3 weeks and 6 weeks. Data was analysed using SPSS 22. Results: Of the 48 patients, 24(50%) were in each of the 2 groups. There were 39(81.25%) male and 9(18.75%) female subjects with an overall mean age of 45±4.919 years. Mean Barthel Index score in group A was 62.50±7.22 at baseline and 74.79±7.14 after 6 weeks. Mean Berg Balance Score was 25.04±2.15 at baseline and 41.66±6.04 after 6 weeks (p<0.05). In group B, Barthel Index score was 61.45±6.33 at baseline and 80.83±7.61 after 6 weeks. Mean Berg Balance score was 25.33±3.38 at baseline and 47.08±5.99 after 6 weeks (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in group B scores compared to group A (p<0.01). Conclusion: Core strengthening programme was more effective than the proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation programme in terms of activity of daily living and balance in patients with stroke. Keywords: Activity of daily living, Berg Balance Scale, Barthel Index, Core strengthening, Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, Stroke. Downloads Full Text Article Published 2023-10-30 How to Cite Yousaf, Q., Rabiiya Noor, & Ghafoor, I. (2023). Effects of core strengthening and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique on the Barthel index and balance in patients with hemiplegic stroke –a quasi-experimental study. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(11), 2153–2156. https://doi.org/10.47391/JPMA.7903 More Citation Formats ACM ACS APA ABNT Chicago Harvard IEEE MLA Turabian Vancouver Download Citation Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX Issue Vol. 73 No. 11 (2023): NOVEMBER Section Original Article License Copyright (c) 2020 Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.