Improvement in Upper Limb Motor Performance following Stroke: The Use of Mental Practice

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (11) ◽  
pp. 501-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison R Bell ◽  
Bridget J Murray
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuen Yee Alice Chiu ◽  
Chun Wai Lo ◽  
Chi Kuk Connie Hui ◽  
Wai Chong Susanna Choi ◽  
So Lun Lee ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease leading to progressive muscle weakness and degeneration. Effective assessment tool is needed to allow monitoring of progress to guide the management. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Performance of Upper Limb (PUL) Module when used in patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). MethodsTotal thirty-three Chinese DMD patients were included. Twenty-five video-recorded PUL Module version 1.3 assessments were performed for the recruited patients with three raters evaluated the same recorded video for inter-rater reliability and evaluated the same performance one month later for intra-rater reliability. Construct validity was assessed correlating the PUL Module scores with the patients’ age, their forced vital capacity (N=25) and their Hammersmith motor scale scores (N=25) performed on the same day. ResultsThe intra-rater and inter-rater reliability (ICC 0.92 - 0.99), internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha 0.97 - 0.99) and known groups validity (AUC 0.97) of PUL module were excellent. PUL was negatively correlated with age (r = -0.912), and positively correlated with the forced vital capacity (r = 0.87) and the Hammersmith motor scale (r = 0.84). The findings confirm the high reliability and validity of PUL module, and its high clinical relevancy in monitoring the deteriorating upper limb motor performance that strongly correlated with the lung function and generalized motor performance as age increased in DMD. ConclusionThis first study of PUL module in Chinese patients with DMD confirmed that it is a reliable valid tool to monitor clinical progress and outcome for DMD.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Carla Monteiro Pinto ◽  
Petrus Gantois Massa Dias dos Santos ◽  
Rafaela Catherine Da Silva Cunha de Medeiros ◽  
Francisco Emílio Simplício Souza ◽  
Thaisys Blanc dos Santos Simões ◽  
...  

Introduction: The identification of physical capacity is an important marker related to healthy behavior during childhood and adolescence, in which some factors appear to contribute to motor performance such as maturation and hormonal levels. Objective: To compare growth indicators, physical capacity and hormonal markers according to gender and maturational stage in adolescents. Methods: Eighty-nine adolescents of both genders aged 10-13 years participated in the study. Sexual maturation was evaluated using the Tanner’s self-evaluation method. Physical capacity (explosive strength of upper and lower limbs, upper limb velocity and agility) and hormonal markers (testosterone and estradiol) were evaluated through the chemiluminescence method. Results: In the comparison by gender, girls had higher weight (p = 0.023), height (p = 0.018) and fat percentage values (p = 0.001), while boys presented better motor performance for the explosive strength of upper limbs (p = 0.005) and lower limbs (p = 0.011), agility (0.018) and upper limb velocity (p = 0.014). Regarding maturational stage, boys did not present differences in any variable analyzed; (Stage V versus I), height (stage III, IV and V versus I) and upper limb explosive strength (stage III and IV versus I). Conclusion: Growth, weight and height, as well as explosive strength of upper limbs were higher in girls at more advanced maturational stages and appear to be gender dependent.


Toxins ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 807
Author(s):  
Mandar Jog ◽  
Jack Lee ◽  
Astrid Scheschonka ◽  
Robert Chen ◽  
Farooq Ismail ◽  
...  

In this first, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled exploratory trial, we evaluate the efficacy and safety of incobotulinumtoxinA and feasibility of using kinematic tremor assessment to aid in the planning of muscle selection in a multicenter setting. Reproducibility of the planning technology to other clinical sites was explored. In this trial (NCT02207946), patients with upper-limb essential tremor (ET) were randomized 2:1 to a single treatment cycle of incobotulinumtoxinA or placebo. A tremor kinematic analytics investigational device was used to define a customized muscle set for injection, related to the pattern of the wrist, forearm, elbow, and shoulder tremor for each patient, and the incobotulinumtoxinA dose per muscle (total ≤ 200 U). Fahn–Tolosa–Marin (FTM) Part B motor performance score, Global Impression of Change Scale (GICS), and kinematic analysis-based efficacy evaluations were assessed. Thirty patients were randomized (incobotulinumtoxinA, n = 19; placebo, n = 11). FTM motor performance scores showed greater improvement with incobotulinumtoxinA versus placebo at Week 4 (p= 0.003) and Week 8 (p= 0.031). The physician-rated GICS score indicated improvement with incobotulinumtoxinA versus placebo at Week 4 (p < 0.05). IncobotulinumtoxinA also decreased accelerometric hand-tremor amplitude versus placebo from baseline to Week 4 (p= 0.004) and Week 8 (p < 0.001), with persistent tremor reduction up to 24 weeks post-injection. IncobotulinumtoxinA produced a slight and transient reduction of maximal grip strength versus placebo; two patients reported localized finger muscle weakness. Customized incobotulinumtoxinA injections decreased tremor severity and improved hand motor function in patients with upper-limb ET after a single injection cycle, with a favorable tolerability profile. The study showed that tremor kinematic analytics technology could be successfully scaled for use in other clinical sites.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Michela Goffredo ◽  
Stefano Mazzoleni ◽  
Annalisa Gison ◽  
Francesco Infarinato ◽  
Sanaz Pournajaf ◽  
...  

Background. Upper limb robot-assisted therapy (RT) provides intensive, repetitive, and task-specific treatment, and its efficacy for stroke survivors is well established in literature. Biomechanical data from robotic devices has been widely employed for patient’s assessment, but rarely it has been analysed for tracking patient progress during RT. The goal of this retrospective study is to analyse built-in kinematic data registered by a planar end-effector robot for assessing the time course of motor recovery and patient’s workspace exploration skills. A comparison of subjects having mild and severe motor impairment has been also conducted. For that purpose, kinematic data recorded by a planar end-effector robot have been processed for investigating how motor performance in executing point-to-point trajectories with different directions changes during RT.Methods. Observational retrospective study of 68 subacute stroke patients who conducted 20 daily sessions of upper limb RT with the InMotion 2.0 (Bionik Laboratories, USA): planar point-to-point reaching tasks with an “assist as needed” strategy. The following kinematic parameters (KPs) were computed for each subject and for each point-to-point trajectory executed during RT: movement accuracy, movement speed, number of peak speed, and task completion time. The Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used with clinical outcomes. the Friedman test and post hoc Conover’s test (Bonferroni’s correction) were applied to KPs. A secondary data analysis has been conducted by comparing patients having different severities of motor impairment. The level of significance was set atpvalue < 0.05.Results. At the RT onset, the movements were less accurate and smoothed, and showed higher times of execution than those executed at the end of treatment. The analysis of the time course of KPs highlighted that RT seems to improve the motor function mainly in the first sessions of treatment: most KPs show significant intersession differences during the first 5/10 sessions. Afterwards, no further significant variations occurred. The ability to perform movements away from the body and from the hemiparetic side remains more challenging. The results obtained from the data stratification show significant differences between subjects with mild and severe motor impairment.Conclusion. Significant improvements in motor performance were registered during the time course of upper limb RT in subacute stroke patients. The outcomes depend on movement direction and motor impairment and pave the way to optimize healthcare resources and to design patient-tailored rehabilitative protocols.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline D. C. Altermann ◽  
Alexandre S. Martins ◽  
Felipe P. Carpes ◽  
Pâmela B. Mello-Carpes

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Aprile ◽  
Enrica Di Sipio ◽  
Marco Germanotta ◽  
Chiara Simbolotti ◽  
Luca Padua

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (10) ◽  
pp. 2984-2987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoki Iso ◽  
Shirou Ooso ◽  
Noboru Yamamoto ◽  
Takefumi Moriuchi ◽  
Akira Sagari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-207
Author(s):  
Corina SPOREA ◽  
◽  
Dumitru FERECHIDE ◽  

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of Functional Electrical Stimulation in upper limb rehabilitation in children with cerebral palsy. Methods: 90 children with spastic cerebral palsy, age between 6 and 9 years, were randomized into two groups. 45 children, represented the control group, performed conventional physical and occupational therapy and robot-assisted therapy. In addition to the control group, the experimental group received functional electrical stimulation interventions with postural control on the affected upper limb. Results: The experimental group's motor performance after treatment (improved coordination by 8.2%, wrist flexion by 9.75°, three-fingered grasp strength by 1.04°, and functional limitation lowered by 5.93) was considerably better than the control group's which coordination increased by 5.5%, wrist flexion by 8.72°, three-fingered grasp strength by 0.7 and functional limitation decreased by 2.33. Conclusions: Functional electrical stimulation intervention was found to be an effective manner to improve motor performance, in terms of coordination, range of motion, and three-fingered grasp strength, visibly reducing functional limitation and improving performance in activities of daily living.


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