• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.84-91
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of submerged relaxation therapy for the spasticity on the affected side in three subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis. A single-subject alternating design with multiple baselines across individuals was employed in this study. Each subject alternately participated in a range of motion exercises on the mat and in the pool, and relaxation exercises in the pool. The muscle tone of the affected side was measured using the tone assessment scale (TAS). Measurements were made immediately and one hour following the intervention. The findings showed a therapeutic effect of submerged relaxation exercise on reducing spasticity for all subjects. The effect of submerged relaxation exercise on decreasing muscle tone was maintained for one hour measurements after the submerged relaxation exercise, although the mean TAS score assessed one hour after intervention was higher than that assessed immediately. The results of this study suggest that submerged relaxation exercise has a positive effect on decreasing spasticity on the affected side in persons suffering from post-stroke hemiparesis. Future research on submerged relaxation exercise should focus on objective evaluation and functional the aspects relevant to activities of daily living.