Guitar Training Shown to Aid Stroke Survivors, Says UP
STROKE – A new study from the University of the Philippines is striking a chord in the medical field, revealing that guitar lessons can significantly support hand recovery in chronic stroke patients.
A recent study by the University of the Philippines (UP) suggests that learning to play the guitar may offer stroke survivors an alternative path to rehabilitation—one that can match the benefits of standard occupational therapy. Conducted through the UP College of Medicine and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), the research explored how a music-based program could help restore hand function in individuals living with chronic stroke.
The randomized controlled trial involved 34 participants who had unilateral hand impairment as a result of a previous stroke. To compare the effectiveness of the approaches, researchers divided the volunteers into two groups: one received structured guitar lessons, while the other continued with traditional occupational therapy.
Both groups underwent eight one-hour sessions spread over four weeks. The sessions were held inside the treatment rooms of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at PGH, ensuring that both interventions were conducted in a controlled clinical environment. Before and after the program, patients were evaluated using a series of standardized assessments measuring their hand’s range of motion, grip and pinch strength, and functional performance.
The findings revealed that changes in passive and active range of motion “showed no statistically significant difference” between the two groups. This suggests that guitar practice—despite being unconventional in medical settings—can engage the muscles and joints of the affected hand in ways that are therapeutically comparable to established methods.
Researchers also found that the improvements in hand function were largely similar between participants who played the guitar and those who received routine therapy. The study observed enhanced performance in tasks involving the impaired hand in both groups, “except for an observed greater improvement with the control group in motor coordination.”
Still, the overall outcome highlights the promise of integrating music into rehabilitation. As the authors emphasized, the results indicate “improvement in hand function using the guitar lesson was comparable to that from traditional occupational therapy.”
The study opens the door to more creative and engaging recovery options for stroke survivors—particularly those who may find music-based activities more motivating than conventional therapy routines.
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