Physiotherapy/hypnosis for AVC Patients

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF LIEGE · Mar 19, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This study is looking to see if adding hypnosis to upper‑limb physiotherapy helps people recover arm movement and daily function after a stroke. It randomizes participants into three groups: (1) physiotherapy for the arm only, (2) physiotherapy plus hypnosis, and (3) a waitlist group that will receive the combined therapy after a short delay. The researchers will check progress at about 8 weeks, looking at how well the shoulder, elbow, and wrist can move, muscle stiffness, how well people can do everyday tasks, overall disability, strength, and dexterity. Each participant will have six therapy sessions (about 20–30 minutes each, two times per week) with assessments before treatment, after about four weeks, and about one month later. There are no results yet from the trial.

Who can join? Adults aged 18–80 who had a stroke more than three months ago, have at least some weakness in one upper limb, and can understand French and travel to Liège, Belgium. Exclusions include being under 18 or over 80, certain prior arm injuries or brain conditions, epilepsy, dementia, untreated hearing problems, significant concentration problems, or other serious medical issues. The study is run by the University of Liège at CHU Liège in Belgium, and, as of now, results are not available—the trial is ongoing with completion hoped for around 2026.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adults aged 18 to 80 years old
• • Having experienced a stroke more than 3 months ago
• • Understanding and proficient in the French language
• • Having a functional capacity deficit in at least one of the two upper limbs
• • Being able to independently travel to the Yerne medical center for necessary study appointments.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Being under 18 or over 80 years old
• • Having a history of upper limb injuries (fractures, prosthetics, etc.)
• • Having Wernicke's aphasia (language comprehension disorder)
• • Having frontal lobe syndrome
• • Undergoing chemotherapy
• • Having respiratory disorders (respiratory failure of more than 70%) or receiving oxygen therapy
• • Having epilepsy
• • Having dementia
• • Having untreated hearing impairments
• • Being diagnosed with schizophrenia or paranoïa
• • Experiencing significant concentration difficulties