Abstract

Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), commonly known as stroke is a condition that results from infarction of neurons in the brain due to vascular compromise. It is a highly prevalent disease, a leading cause of death and long-term disability. The most frequent sign after stroke is muscle weakness, which leads to loss of functions in the upper and lower limb. The mechanism of muscle weakness in stroke can be neural or structural. The most frequently affected muscle groups are the extensors of the upper limb and flexors of the lower limb. Dysfunctional knee flexion causes disability in performing such activities of daily living like walking, transfers, standing, stair climbing and so on, which negatively affect the quality of life and societal participation in stroke survivors. The hamstring muscles are the muscles responsible for knee flexion. This mini-review gives a brief summary of the available physiotherapy interventions that affect the hamstrings. PubMed, CINAHL and Google Scholar were searched with keywords of various combinations. Several modalities employed in managing hamstring weakness in stroke survivors include exercise therapy, mirror therapy, electrical stimulation, mental practice, functional electrical stimulation and task-specific training at different levels of hamstring muscle strength among stroke survivors. The goal of physiotherapy is to improve the functional level and ultimately facilitate community integration by increasing muscle strength in the stroke survivor.

Key words: Hamstring, cerebrovascular, accident.