背景與目的：先前研究初步證實溫度刺激有助於發病初期中風患者的上肢感覺及動作功能之恢
復；然而，溫度刺激對於發病後不同時期的中風患者之療效及後續追蹤，尚未得到進一步驗證。
本研究目的探討溫度刺激對於亞急性及慢性期中風患者上肢動作與日常生活功能恢復的療效。方
法：17名中風至少三個月以上患者除接受一般傳統復健治療之外，加入為期8週，每週3天，每
天1次，每次30分鐘的溫度刺激。個案於實驗前、實驗中（第4週時）、實驗後（第8週時）及實驗後1個月共接受4次療效評量。使用福格邁爾動作上肢次量表（Upper Extremity Subscale of the Fugl-Meyer motor test, UE-FM）及巴氏量表（Barthel Index, BI）評估個案上肢肢體動作與日常生活功能恢復情況。結果：共有14位受試者完成8週溫度刺激之介入及評估，以單因子重複測量變異數分析比較UE-FM 和BI量表4次評量得分分數，動作與功能療效評估並無顯著差異（p>.05）；若進一步以評估分數進步量超過最小可偵測之變化值（Minimal Detectable Change, MDC）來判定療效，在實驗後（第8週時）療效評估有4位受試者UE-FM進步量大於MDC（7.2分），5位受試者BI進步量也分別大於MDC（1.9分），實驗後1個月療效追蹤評估發現其中僅有1位治療結束後動作與功能療效進步量無法維持。結論：本研究初步發現大部份亞急性期中風患者接受為期2個月之溫度刺激後上肢動作或日常生活功能有改善現象。（物理治療 2009;34(5):271-279）

Background and Purpose: Thermal Stimulation (TS) has been found to be an effective treatment in facilitating sensory and motor recovery of upper extremity (UE) after an acute stroke. However, the efficacy of TS in stroke patients with different recovery stages and the carryover effects of TS remain unknown. This study was to examine the effect of TS on the UE movement and activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with subacute or chronic stroke. Methods: Seventeen stroke survivors at least 3 months post stroke undergoing regular conventional rehabilitation programs received an additional TS protocol for 30 minutes per day, 3 days per week, for 8 consecutive weeks. At baseline, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after baseline, and at 1 month followup, the Upper Extremity Subscale of the Fugl-Meyer Motor Function Assessment (UE-FM) and the Barthel Index (BI) were administered to assess the UE movement and ADL, respectively.
Results: Fourteen subjects completed the 8-week TS protocol and all assessments. The results of One-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed no significant differences for the UE-FM and the BI between any two assessments (p>.05). However, when the Minimal Detectable Change (MDC) was used to determine the effect of TS, there were improvements in scores more than the MDC of UE-FM (7.2 point) for 4 subjects and the MDC of BI (1.9 point) for 5 subjects, after 8-week TS protocol. Only one participant did not show carryover effect of TS after the one month follow-up period based on the UE-FM and the BI scores. Conclusions: The preliminary results demonstrated that 8-week TS protocol might enhance UE movement and ADL for most of subacute stroke patients in our study. (FJPT 2009;34(5):271-279)