Investigation of the Effects of Task-Oriented Circuit Training on Upper Extremity Motor Function in Stroke Patients

Stroke is a disease characterized by symptoms such as weakness on one side of the body, speech impairment or inability to understand spoken language, vision problems, and loss of balance, walking, and coordination, resulting from a disruption in cerebral circulation that prevents oxygenation and nourishment of brain tissue. Currently, treatment approaches that adopt motor learning principles after stroke are fundamentally based on motor learning, neural plasticity, biomechanics, and the systems model of motor control. Task-Oriented Training (TOT), one of these treatment approaches, is used in the physiotherapy process for neurological diseases, and there is significant clinical evidence regarding the benefits of TOT. While the effects of TOT in physiotherapy have been primarily studied on balance and walking, there are a limited number of studies examining its effects on upper extremity function. Task-Oriented Circuit Training (TOCT) is a task-oriented training program consisting of 15 exercise stations where task-oriented training is applied in the form of exercise stations. TOCT improved upper extremity skills in Parkinson's patients. However, no study examines its effects on stroke. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effects of TOCT on upper extremity motor functions and dual-task performance in stroke patients.