Kinematic Upper Extremity Performance in People with Near or Fully Recovered Sensorimotor Function After Stroke

: Clinical scales for upper extremity motor function may not capture improvement among higher functioning people with stroke. : To describe upper extremity kinematics in people with stroke who score within the upper 10% of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA-UE) and explore the ceiling effects of the FMA-UE. : A cross-sectional study design was used. : People with stroke were included from the Stroke Arm Longitudinal Study at University of Gothenburg together with 30 healthy controls. The first analysis included participants who achieved FMA-UE score > 60 within the first year of stroke (assessed at 3 days, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, 3 months, or 12 months post stroke). The second analysis included participants with submaximal FMA-UE (60-65 points,  = 24) or maximal FMA-UE score (66 points,  = 21) at 3 months post stroke. : The kinematic analysis of a standardized drinking task included movement time, velocity and strategy, joint angles of the elbow, and shoulder and trunk displacement. : The high FMA-UE stroke group showed deficits in seven of eight kinematic variables. The submaximal FMA-UE stroke group was slower, had lower tangential and angular peak velocity, and used more trunk displacement than the controls. In addition, the maximal FMA-UE stroke group showed larger trunk displacement and arm abduction during drinking and lower peak angular velocity of the elbow. : Participants with near or fully recovered sensorimotor function after stroke still show deficits in movement kinematics; however, the FMA-UE may not be able to detect these impairments.