scholarly journals Limb-Loaded Cycling Program for Locomotor Intervention Following Stroke

2005 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A Brown ◽  
Sabina Nagpal ◽  
Sam Chi

Abstract Background and Purpose. This case report describes implementation of a limb-loaded cycling (LLC) training program as a feasible exercise for people in early phases of locomotor training following stroke. Case Description. Two individuals with early-stage poststroke hemiplegia participated in the LLC program as an adjunct to physical therapy intervention. Performance of LLC involved cycling while supporting progressive amounts of applied load and weight shifting from one lower extremity to the other lower extremity. The LLC was conducted daily during 2 to 3 weeks of inpatient rehabilitation. Outcomes. The LLC progressed with increases in weight bearing and force generation, as evidenced by larger amounts of limb loading during pedaling. The patients tolerated all loads without cardiorespiratory distress. Discussion. Limb-loaded cycling can accommodate people with little force-generating capability or weight-bearing ability as they practice locomotor skills. Gains in locomotor ability may be aided by the addition of this exercise regimen to patients' daily physical therapy.

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (7) ◽  
pp. 653-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Stemmons Mercer ◽  
Janet Kues Freburger ◽  
Shuo-Hsiu Chang ◽  
Jama L. Purser

Background Weight bearing through, or “loading” of, the paretic lower extremity and transfer of weight from one lower extremity to the other are important impairment-level goals of stroke rehabilitation. Improvements in these limb-loading and weight-transfer abilities have been shown to relate to improved performance of many functional activities. Unfortunately, valid and practical clinical measures of paretic–lower-extremity loading and weight transfer have not been identified. Objective The purpose of this study was to assess convergent validity of the Step Test (ST) and the knee extension component of the Upright Motor Control Test (UMCe) as measures of paretic-limb loading and of the Repetitive Reach Test (RR) as a measure of weight transfer in the first 6 months after stroke. Design This was a prospective cohort study of 33 adults with lower-extremity motor impairment following unilateral, noncerebellar stroke. Participants were tested one time per month from 1 to 6 months poststroke. Results Scores on the ST (performed with the nonparetic leg as the stepping leg) and UMCe were positively correlated with peak vertical ground reaction forces (GRFs) beneath the paretic limb during functional tasks (R2=.35–.76 for the ST, pseudo R2=.21–.34 for the UMCe). Scores on the RR were positively correlated with change in vertical GRF beneath the paretic limb during the diagonal reach task (R2=.45) and with weight-transfer time during stepping with the nonparetic limb (R2=.15). Conclusions The ST, performed with the nonparetic leg as the stepping leg, is a valid measure of paretic-limb loading during stroke recovery. Of the clinical measures tested, the ST correlated most strongly with the force platform measures.


2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (9) ◽  
pp. 1473-1480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kavita Venkataraman ◽  
Ngan Phoon Fong ◽  
Kin Ming Chan ◽  
Boon Yeow Tan ◽  
Edward Menon ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (12) ◽  
pp. 1337-1349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin R. Archer ◽  
Ellen J. MacKenzie ◽  
Renan C. Castillo ◽  
Michael J. Bosse ◽  

Background Lower-extremity injuries constitute the leading cause of trauma hospitalizations among people under the age of 65 years. Rehabilitation has the potential to favorably influence the outcomes associated with traumatic lower-extremity injuries. Objectives The objectives of this study were to explore variability in surgeon and physical therapist assessments of the need for physical therapy in patients with traumatic lower-extremity injuries and to determine the factors associated with assessments of need. Design This study was a retrospective cohort investigation. Methods Participants were 395 patients treated by reconstruction in the Lower-Extremity Assessment Project. They were evaluated at 8 level I trauma centers at 3, 6, and 12 months after hospitalization by an orthopedic surgeon and a physical therapist to determine the need for physical therapy. Analyses included multilevel logistic regression. Results Chi-square analyses showed that surgeon and therapist assessments of need differed statistically across trauma centers. Surgeons were more likely to assess a need for therapy at 3 months when participants had low work self-efficacy, impaired knee flexion range of motion (ROM), and weight-bearing limitations and at 6 and 12 months when participants had impaired knee flexion ROM and weight-bearing and balance limitations. Therapists were more likely to assess a need for therapy at 3 months when participants had moderate to severe pain and at 6 and 12 months when participants had low work self-efficacy, pain, impaired knee flexion ROM, and balance limitations. Conclusions The results revealed variability in assessments of the need for physical therapy at the provider and trauma center levels. Differences in provider assessments highlight the need for communication and further investigation into the outcomes and timing of physical therapy for the treatment of traumatic lower-extremity injuries.


Author(s):  
Reem M. Alwhaibi ◽  
Noha F. Mahmoud ◽  
Mye A. Basheer ◽  
Hoda M. Zakaria ◽  
Mahmoud Y. Elzanaty ◽  
...  

Recovery of lower extremity (LE) function in chronic stroke patients is considered a barrier to community reintegration. An adequate training program is required to improve neural and functional performance of the affected LE in chronic stroke patients. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of somatosensory rehabilitation on neural and functional recovery of LE in stroke patients. Thirty male and female patients were recruited and randomized to equal groups: control group (GI) and intervention group (GII). All patients were matched for age, duration of stroke, and degree of motor impairment of the affected LE. Both groups received standard program of physical therapy in addition to somatosensory rehabilitation for GII. The duration of treatment for both groups was eight consecutive weeks. Outcome measures used were Functional Independent Measure (FIM) and Quantitative Electroencephalography (QEEG), obtained pre- and post-treatment. A significant improvement was found in the FIM scores of the intervention group (GII), as compared to the control group (GI) (p < 0.001). Additionally, QEEG scores improved within the intervention group post-treatment. QEEG scores did not improve within the control group post-treatment, except for “Cz-AR”, compared to pretreatment, with no significant difference between groups. Adding somatosensory training to standard physical therapy program results in better improvement of neuromuscular control of LE function in chronic stroke patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0008
Author(s):  
Adam Saloom ◽  
Nick Purcell ◽  
Matthew Ruhe ◽  
Jorge Gomez ◽  
Jonathan Santana ◽  
...  

Background: Posterior ankle impingement (PAI) is a known cause of posterior ankle pain in athletes performing repetitive plantarflexion motion. Even though empirically recommended in adult PAI, there is minimal literature related to the role of conservative physical therapy (PT) in pediatric patients. Purpose: To identify patient characteristics and determine if there is a difference in pediatric patients with PAI who were successful with conservative PT and those who were unsuccessful, requiring surgical intervention. Methods: Prospective study at a tertiary children’s hospital included patients <18 years diagnosed with PAI and underwent PT. Patients who received PT at an external facility were excluded. Collected data included demographics, initial presentation at PT evaluation, treatment throughout PT, patient presentation at PT discharge, time to return to sport (RTS) from initial PT evaluation (if successful), time to surgery from initial PT evaluation (if unsuccessful). Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot scores were collected. Group comparisons were conducted using independent t-tests or chi-square analyses (alpha level set at .05). Results: 31 (12 males, 19 females) patients diagnosed with PAI were enrolled with a mean age 12.61 years (range: 8-17). Gymnastics, football, and basketball were the most commonly implicated sports (42% patients). All patients underwent initial conservative PT for an average of 16.24 weeks (9.23 visits ±7.73). 20/31(64.5%) patients failed conservative management and underwent arthroscopic debridement. PAI pathology was predominantly bony in 61.3% and soft tissue 38.7%. Between the successful PT group and unsuccessful PT group, there was no difference in the proportion of athletes/non-athletes (p=.643). Average RTS time for successful group was 11.47 weeks and average time to surgery for unsuccessful group was 17.82 weeks. There were no significant differences in sex (p=.332), age (p=.674), number of PT visits (p=.945), initial weight-bearing status (p=.367), use of manual therapy (p=.074) including manipulation (p=.172) and mobilization (p=.507), sport (p=.272), initial evaluation ankle ROM (p>.05). Initial AOFAS scores for pain, function, alignment, or total were not significantly different (p=.551, .998, .555, .964 respectively). Conclusion: The first prospective study in pediatric patients with PAI demonstrates that even though success of PT is not dependent on age, sex, sport or PAI pathology, a notable proportion of patients who undergo PT do not need surgery. Conservative management including PT should be the initial line of management for PAI. PT treatment and surgery (if unsuccessful with PT) allowed patients to return to prior level of activity/sports. Tables/Figures: [Table: see text]


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7_suppl3) ◽  
pp. 2325967121S0011
Author(s):  
Katie Kim ◽  
Michael Saper

Background: Gymnastics exposes the body to many different types of stressors ranging from repetitive motion, high impact loading, extreme weight bearing, and hyperextension. These stressors predispose the spine and upper and lower extremities to injury. In fact, among female sports, gymnastics has the highest rate of injury each year. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to systematically review the literature on location and types of orthopedic injuries in adolescent (≤20 years) gymnasts. Methods: The Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE, EBSCO (CINAHL) and Web of Science databases were systematically searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify all studies reporting orthopedic injuries in adolescent and young adult gymnasts. All aspects of injuries were extracted and analyzed including location, type and rates of orthopedic injuries. Results: Screening yielded 22 eligible studies with a total of 427,225 patients. Twenty of 22 studies reported upper extremity injuries of which four specifically focused on wrist injuries. Eight studies reported lower extremity injuries. Nine studies reported back/spinal injuries. Seven studies investigated each body location of injury; one study reported the upper extremity as the most common location for injury and six studies reported the lower extremity as the most common location for injury. Of those seven studies, five (23%) reported sprains and strains as the most common injury. One study reported fractures as the most common injury. Conclusion: There is considerable variation in reported injury location. Some studies focused specifically on the spine/back or wrist. The type of gymnastics each patient participated in was also different, contributing to which area of the body was more heavily stressed, or lacking. Current literature lacks data to fully provide evidence regarding which body region is more frequently injured and the type of injury sustained.


PM&R ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jake DiPasquale ◽  
Molly Trammell ◽  
Kelly Clark ◽  
Hayden Fowler ◽  
Librada Callender ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2177
Author(s):  
Philipp Gulde ◽  
Joachim Hermsdörfer ◽  
Peter Rieckmann

Inpatient rehabilitation has been shown to be an effective intervention for sensorimotor performance in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. So far, predictions of the rehabilitation outcomes are limited. The objective was to predict inpatient rehabilitation outcomes by changes in the Watzmann Severity Scale (WSS), a statistical estimation of the EDSS by sensorimotor capacity. Sensorimotor performance and physical activity during rehabilitation (by actigraphy) were assessed in a sample of 28 MS patients at a facility for neurorehabilitation. Daily changes in the WSS were predicted by a model of multiple linear regression. The resulting model had an R2adjusted of 0.48 (p < 0.01) and revealed five impacting factors (a reduction in the WSS represents an improvement): the number of steps (β-weight = 0.52, p < 0.01), the duration of nocturnal rest time (β-weight = 0.46, p = 0.01), the EDSS at entry (β-weight = 0.38, p = 0.03), a relapsing-remitting MS (β-weight = 0.37, p = 0.03), and the performance in a visuomotor pursuit task with time pressure (β-weight = −0.35, p = 0.04). One standard deviation improvement was predicted when the patient at admission yielded 6600 fewer steps per day, 94 min less rest per night, −2.7 points in the EDSS at entry, a relapsing-remitting MS, and a pursuit task performance that decreased by 2.2 standard deviations. Overall, the patients improved by −0.22 ± 0.51 WSS points during 19.3 ± 4.5 d of inpatient rehabilitation. Different potential explanations of the findings are discussed, one of which proposes that the results reflect an unhealthy lifestyle which, in addition to MS, would explain the higher predicted improvements by rehabilitation tackling both MS and the patients’ lifestyle.


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