<![CDATA[Background: Stroke commonly causes upper-extremity weakness that can limit independence. Progressive resistance exercise may support motor recovery, while hand massage may provide complementary sensory stimulation and relaxation. Purpose: To compare short-term changes in upper-extremity muscle strength between patients with stroke receiving combined elastic resistance band exercise and hand massage and those receiving standard hospital care. Method: This quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study included 40 patients with stroke, with 20 in the intervention group and 20 in the control group. Allocation was non-random and based on odd/even identifiers. The intervention group received combined elastic resistance band exercise and hand massage for 10–15 minutes daily over 8 sessions, while the control group received standard hospital care. Upper-extremity muscle strength was assessed using Manual Muscle Testing (MMT). Wilcoxon signed-rank tests assessed within-group changes, and the Mann-Whitney U test compared post-test scores between groups. Results: Upper-extremity muscle strength improved significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.001), while no significant change was observed in the control group (p = 0.083). At posttest, the intervention group had significantly higher muscle strength scores than the control group (p = 0.006). Conclusion: Combined elastic resistance band exercise and hand massage were associated with greater short-term improvement in upper-extremity muscle strength than standard hospital care. Because allocation was non-random, the finding should be interpreted cautiously.]]>
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