뇌내출혈 후 편마비 환자에서 FCST를 활용한 상부경추 교정에 따른 보행 및 근력 개선된 1례

A Case of Gait and Muscle Strength Improvement Following Upper Cervical Manipulation with FCST in a Patient with Hemiparesis After Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Objectives Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes severe neurological sequelae in-cluding hemiparesis and gait disturbance. In chronic-stage patients, functional re-covery is limited. Functional CerebroSpinal Technique (FCST), targeting upper cer-vical misalignment through TMJ balancing, has been proposed as a potential inter-vention, but clinical evidence in chronic ICH is lacking. Methods A 64-year-old woman with right hemiparesis, gait disturbance, and apha-sia 4.65 years after left putaminal ICH underwent 27 outpatient sessions over two months. FCST-based upper cervical correction was performed exclusively using 162 Cervical Balancing Appliances (CBA). Motor function, ADL, and gait parameters were assessed before and after intervention. Results Motor strength improved in Manual Muscle Testing and isokinetic performance. Korean Modified Barthel Index increased from 71 to 78. Functional gait tests showed significant improvements: TUG time (-23.2%), 10MWT time (-28.0%), and reduced steps in 360° turn test. GAITRite® analysis revealed marked increases in right step length (+192.1%) and stride length (+1150.2%), with improved gait symmetry. Conclusions This case demonstrates that FCST-based upper cervical correction may contribute to meaningful improvements in chronic-stage ICH patients beyond the typical recovery window. However, limitations including single-case design in-dicate the need for controlled trials and standardized diagnostic protocols.