COMPARISON BETWEEN INSTITUTIONAL BASED SUPERVISION AND TELE BASED SUPERVISION FOR TASK ORIENTED EXERCISES ON UPPER LIMB MOTOR PERFORMANCE AND FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AMONG PATIENTS WITH STROKE

Stroke remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, with upper limb motor impairments affecting the majority of survivors. Rehabilitation is crucial but often underutilized due to accessibility, cost, and compliance issues. This study compared institutional-based supervision and tele-based supervision for task-oriented upper limb exercises among 62 stroke patients over eight weeks. Both groups demonstrated significant improvements in motor performance and functional ability, measured using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) and the Motor Evaluation Scale for Upper Extremity in Stroke Patients (MESUPES). Importantly, no significant differences were found between the two groups, indicating that telerehabilitation was equally effective as conventional institutional-based care. While institutional therapy showed numerical advantages in certain sub-components, these were not statistically significant. The findings highlight telerehabilitation as a practical, effective, and accessible alternative to traditional rehabilitation, particularly in resource-limited settings such as India. Larger-scale studies are recommended to validate these outcomes and explore long-term and hybrid rehabilitation models.