Papers of the Week

Post-stroke hemiplegic patients with a spastic clenched fist deformity that was caused by upper motor neuron syndrome often have problems with hygiene and nursing. Botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) had been given for treatment of such patients to relieve spasticity by targeting finger joint muscles, such as the flexor digitorum superficialis and flexor digitorum profundus. However, some of these patients do not have satisfactory outcomes. Therefore, we aimed to examine the clinical efficacy and outcome of BTX-A treatment that targeted the upper lumbrical muscles (ULM) in patients with spastic clenched fist deformity caused by stoke.