Early balance training with a computerized stabilometric platform in persons with mild hemiparesis in subacute stroke phase: A randomized controlled pilot study

Author(s):  
Brunelli Stefano ◽  
Gentileschi Noemi ◽  
Iosa Marco ◽  
Fusco Francesca Romana ◽  
Grossi Valerio ◽  
...  

Background: Along with conventional therapy, novel tools are being developed in balance training for the rehabilitation of persons with stroke sequelae. The efficacy of Computerized Balance Training thus far been the object of studies only in persons with chronic stroke. Objective: To investigate the effects of an early Computerized Balance Training on balance, walking endurance and independence in activities of daily living, in persons with mild hemiparesis in subacute phase. Methods: Thirty-two persons with a recent hemiparesis (within 4 weeks from stroke onset), able to maintain a standing position for at least 30 seconds were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The control group (CG) were administered conventional physiotherapy of 40 minutes twice a day, five times a week for 4 weeks, while the experimental group (EG) underwent conventional physiotherapy 40 minutes once a day and Computerized Balance Training once a day, 5 times a week for 4 weeks. Outcomes were evaluated by means of Berg Balance scale (BBS), Tinetti Balance Scale (TBS), Two Minutes Walk Test (2MWT), Barthel Index (BI) and stabilometric tests. Results: Twelve participants for each group completed the training. Each group experienced 8 dropouts. The mean age (years) was 58.1±20.4 for EG and 59.7±14,7 for CG; the days from stroke were respectively 27.9±15.5 and 20±11.7. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant in experimental group for BBS (p = 0.003), for TBS (p = 0.028), for Sensory Integration and Balance tests performed with closed eyes on steady (p = 0.009) or instable surface (p = 0.023). and for 2MWT (p = 0.008). Conclusions: Computerized Balance Training is an effective therapeutic tool for balance and gait endurance improvement in persons with stroke in subacute phase.

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
JaYoung Kim ◽  
Dae Yul Kim ◽  
Min Ho Chun ◽  
Seong Woo Kim ◽  
Ha Ra Jeon ◽  
...  

Objective: To investigate the effects of Morning Walk®–assisted gait training for patients with stroke. Design: Prospective randomized controlled trial. Setting: Three hospital rehabilitation departments (two tertiary and one secondary). Patients: We enrolled 58 patients with hemiparesis following a first-time stroke within the preceding year and with Functional Ambulation Category scores ⩾2. Intervention: The patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: 30 minutes of training with Morning Walk®, a lower limb rehabilitation robot, plus 1 hour of conventional physiotherapy (Morning Walk® group; n = 28); or 1.5 hour of conventional physiotherapy (control group; n = 30). All received treatment five times per week for three weeks. Main outcome measurements: The primary outcomes were walking ability, assessed using the Functional Ambulation Category scale, and lower limb function, assessed using the Motricity Index-Lower. Secondary outcomes included the 10 Meter Walk Test, Modified Barthel Index, Rivermead Mobility Index, and Berg Balance Scale scores. Results: A total of 10 patients were lost to follow-up, leaving a cohort of 48 for the final analyses. After training, all outcome measures significantly improved in both groups. In Motricity Index-Lower of the affected limb, the Morning Walk® group (∆mean ± SD; 19.68 ± 14.06) showed greater improvement ( p = .034) than the control group (∆mean ± SD; 11.70 ± 10.65). And Berg Balance Scale scores improved more ( p = .047) in the Morning Walk® group (∆mean ± SD; 14.36 ± 9.01) than the control group (∆mean ± SD; 9.65 ± 8.14). Conclusion: Compared with conventional physiotherapy alone, our results suggest that voluntary strength and balance of stroke patients with hemiparesis might be improved with Morning Walk®–assisted gait training combined with conventional physiotherapy.


2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 995-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Ann Geiger ◽  
Jeffery B Allen ◽  
Joanne O'Keefe ◽  
Ramona R Hicks

Abstract Background and Purpose. Visual biofeedback/forceplate systems are often used for treatment of balance disorders. In this study, the researchers investigated whether the addition of visual biofeedback/forceplate training could enhance the effects of other physical therapy interventions on balance and mobility following stroke. Subjects. The study included a sample of convenience of 13 outpatients with hemiplegia who ranged in age from 30 to 77 years (X̄=60.4, SD=15.4) and were 15 to 538 days poststroke. Methods. Subjects were assigned randomly to either an experimental group or a control group when the study began, and their cognitive and visual-perceptual skills were tested by a psychologist. Subjects were also assessed using the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed “Up & Go” Test before and after 4 weeks of physical therapy. Both groups received physical therapy interventions designed to improve balance and mobility 2 to 3 times per week. The experimental group trained on the NeuroCom Balance Master for 15 minutes of each 50-minute treatment session. The control group received other physical therapy for 50 minutes. Results. Following intervention, both groups scored higher on the Berg Balance Scale and required less time to perform the Timed “Up & Go” Test. These improvements corresponded to increased independence of balance and mobility in the study population. However, a comparison of mean changes revealed no differences between groups. Discussion and Conclusion. Although both groups demonstrated improvement following 4 weeks of physical therapy interventions, no additional effects were found in the group that received visual biofeedback/forceplate training combined with other physical therapy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 38-42
Author(s):  
Zakharov AV ◽  
Khivintseva EV ◽  
Kolsanov AV ◽  
Poverennova IE ◽  
Pyatin VF ◽  
...  

Objectives – to evaluate the efficacy of the immersive virtual reality (VR) as a supplementary method of the motor function restoration in the lower extremities of the patients with acute ischemic stroke in the carotid territory. Berg balance scale dynamics was used for patients assessment. Material and methods. The study included 33 patients with acute ischemic stroke in the carotid territory. The patients were randomized into two groups: the control group received the conventional treatment; the experimental group additionally received VR therapy with a sensory impact. The VR therapy included 10 sessions of 15 minutesduration each. Results. On the 6th day of VR treatment, the static-locomotor function index on Berg balance scale was significantly improved in patients in the experimental group (p=0.03). On the last day of rehabilitation, the difference between the study groups in the static locomotor function demonstrated the improvement on 23 points (95% CI 13–27 points) in the experimental group, the Berg balance scale improvement reached 7 points (95% CI 2–13 points). Conclusion. The study revealed the positive input of the immersive VR sessions in static loco-motor function rehabilitation in patients in the acute period of ischemic stroke. The method demonstrated its safety and acceptability in this category of patients. Deeper immersion through the use of an explicit interaction with the VR objects could increase the efficiency of this rehabilitation method in static locomotor function restoration.


Author(s):  
Ieva Kvietkutė ◽  
Vilma Dudonienė

All European countries are experiencing significant ageing of the population. As the lifespan of the population increases, so does the prevalence of falls. Falls in older adults are a major public health concern and a main cause of morbidity and disability. More than one-third of persons 65 years of age or older fall each year, and in half of such cases the falls are recurrent. It is very important to maintain physical activity and independence in daily activities in elderly persons as well as to apply appropriate preventive means as soon as possible. Various interventions may be used to promote health, enhance quality life and reduce falls in elderly people: exercises, home modifications, appropriate footwear and walking aids. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of specific balance training exercises for preventing falls among elderly women. Twenty eight women aged 55–75 years participated in the study. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: exercise (n = 14, mean age 67.9 ± 6.13 years) and control (n = 14, mean age 68.9 ± 5.31). Exercise group women performed specific – Cawthorne-Cooksey balance training exercises for 4 weeks, 5 times a week. Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises consisted of moving head in sitting and standing positions with eyes open or closed, exercises on a balance platform, and walking around. One training session lasted for 30-35 minutes. No exercise was performed in the control group. Static and dynamic balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale, Functional Reach Test, and Tinetti Balance Scale, walking speed was assessed using Timed Up and Go Test. Risk for falls was assessed using Desmond Fall Risk Questionnaire [4]. Subjects were evaluated twice: before and after applying exercise program. More than 50% of women have had a fall in the past years, difficulty walking in the dark or on uneven surfaces, they have experienced loss of balance or a light-headed feeling standing up, and they could not walk a straight line. Only 29% of subjects participated in a regular exercise programme. The results of Berg Balance Scale, Functional Reach Test, Tinetti Balance Scale, Timed Up and Go Test did not differ between groups before applying specific exercise program. Specific exercises significantly improved patients’ static and dynamic balance, reach functions and walking speed, while in the control group the results of all performed tests had tendency to decline. Specific Cawthorne-Cooksey balance training exercises are effective (p < 0.05) in improving balance and preventing falls in elderly women.Keywords: falls, elderly age, balance, risk of falls.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii178-ii178
Author(s):  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Fuqiang Zhang ◽  
Mingyao Lai ◽  
Juan Li ◽  
Yangqiong Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of group medical games on the hospitalization adaptability of pediatric patients with neuro tumor. METHODS pediatric patients with neuro tumor (age:6 to 13 years) who were treated in hospital from June to December 2019 and were hospitalized for 1 month to 2 months. 29 pediatric patients(mean age:9y) were selected as the control group and treated as usual; 26 pediatric patients(meanage:8y) were selected as the experimental group for group therapeutic play intervention. Interventions last Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week, with an average duration of one hour. Group medical play include: medical picture book education, medical preview game, emotional games, social table games. Two groups completed self-made questionnaires at the time of admission and two weeks after admission, including: diet, sleep, compliance, and social status, hospital adaptation and other related issues, two groups completed a satisfaction questionnaire after two weeks of admission, recorded analysis and compared the difference of questionnaire data and satisfaction of the two groups of pediatric patients. RESULTS There was no statistical difference in age and sex between the two groups, and there was no significant difference in baseline RESULTS: The re-test results showed that the experimental group was significantly better than the control group in terms of social status, hospital adaptation, compliance and family satisfaction(p<0.05). CONCLUSION Group medical games can effectively improve the adaptability, compliance and family satisfaction of pediatric with neuro tumor.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 565
Author(s):  
Seung-Hwan Jung ◽  
Eunhee Park ◽  
Ju-Hyun Kim ◽  
Bi-Ang Park ◽  
Ja-Won Yu ◽  
...  

Background: Additional exercise therapy has been shown to positively affect acute stroke rehabilitation, which requires an effective method to deliver increased exercise. In this study, we designed a 4-week caregiver-supervised self-exercise program with videos, named “Self rehAbilitation Video Exercises (SAVE)”, to improve the functional outcomes and facilitate early recovery by increasing the continuity of rehabilitation therapy after acute stroke. Methods: This study is a non-randomized trial. Eighty-eight patients were included in an intervention group (SAVE group), who received conventional rehabilitation therapies and an additional self-rehabilitation session by watching bedside exercise videos and continued their own exercises in their rooms for 60 min every day for 4 weeks. Ninety-six patients were included in a control group, who received only conventional rehabilitation therapies. After 4 weeks of hospitalization, both groups assessed several outcome measurements, including the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), physical component summary (PCS) and the mental component summary of the Short-Form Survey 36 (SF-36), Mini-Mental State Examination, and Beck Depression Inventory. Results: Differences in BBS, MBI, and PCS components in SF-36 were more statistically significant in the SAVE group than that in the control group (p < 0.05). Patients in the SAVE group showed more significant improvement in BBS, MBI, and PCS components in SF-36 as compared to that in the control group. Conclusions: This evidence-based SAVE intervention can optimize patient recovery after a subacute stroke while keeping the available resources in mind.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanta Pandian ◽  
Kamal Narayan Arya ◽  
Dharmendra Kumar

Background. Balance and functional abilities are controlled by both sides of the body. The role of nonparetic side has never been explored for such skills.Objective. The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of a motor therapy program primarily involving the nonparetic side on balance and function in chronic stroke.Method. A randomized controlled, double blinded trial was conducted on 39 poststroke hemiparetic subjects (21, men; mean age, 42 years; mean poststroke duration, 13 months). They were randomly divided into the experimental group(n=20)and control group(n=19). The participants received either motor therapy focusing on the nonparetic side along with the conventional program or conventional program alone for 8 weeks (3 session/week, 60 minutes each). The balance ability was assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Functional Reach Test (FRT) while the functional performance was measured by Barthel Index (BI).Result. After intervention, the experimental group exhibited significant(P<0.05)change on BBS (5.65 versus 2.52) and BI (12.75 versus 2.16) scores in comparison to the control group.Conclusion. The motor therapy program incorporating the nonparetic side along with the affected side was found to be effective in enhancing balance and function in stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 3445-3451
Author(s):  
Chen Yake

Objectives: In this paper, the effects of tobacco on aerobic exercise ability and physical fitness recovery of college students were studied. Methods: University group sports intervention form: traditional characteristic project (basketball) + Taiji soft ball (R&D intervention project). Exercise time: 3 times/week; Activity duration: 30min; Activity intensity: the heart rate is controlled at 120-140 beats/min. All the college students in the experimental group are students who have never smoked, and the college students in the control group are students who have smoked for more than two years. The other conditions are the same. Results: The exercise time and endurance of experimental groups I and II were significantly lower than those of the control group, and the cardiopulmonary function was significantly lower than that of the control group. The indexes of experimental group II changed significantly compared with experimental group I, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Cigarette smoke can significantly reduce the aerobic exercise ability and anti fatigue ability. The longer the smoking time, the more serious the adverse effects. Therefore, tobacco smoke and nicotine will damage college students’ aerobic exercise ability and have a negative impact on the recovery of physical fitness after exercise.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norhayati Che Hat ◽  
Mohd Fauzi Abdul Hamid ◽  
Shaferul Hafes Sha'ari ◽  
Safawati Basirah Zaid

Implementation of animation as an Arabic language teaching aid is an innovation in creating an atmosphere that can influence student achievement. This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of the use of animation in Arabic language teaching and learning among diploma students at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Terengganu, Malaysia. A total of 66 diploma students were randomly selected and divided into experimental group (n = 33) and control group (n = 33). The results obtained from the data collected from pre-and post-test for each group were analyzed using t-test in SPSS version 17.0. The results showed a significant difference of (t = 8789, df = 64, p <0.05) between the achievement of the experimental group and the control group in the post test. The difference in mean score of the experimental group and the control group was 33.03. This shows that there is significant improvement in Arabic language according to the groups. The difference prove that the use of animation in learning sessions contribute to the achievement of students in the Arabic language. This study advocate the idea that animation applications can be integrated as part of language teaching aid to positively improve student achievement, classroom learning environment and student motivation. 


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibolya Mikó ◽  
Imre Szerb ◽  
Anna Szerb ◽  
Gyula Poor

Objective: To investigate the effect of a 12-month sensomotor balance exercise programme on postural control and the frequency of falling in women with established osteoporosis. Design: Randomized controlled trial where the intervention group was assigned the 12-month Balance Training Programme and the control group did not undertake any intervention beyond regular osteoporosis treatment. Subjects: A total of 100 osteoporotic women – at least with one osteoporotic fracture – aged 65 years old and above. Main measures: Balance was assessed in static and dynamic posture both with performance-based measures of balance, such as the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test, and with a stabilometric computerized platform. Interventions: Patients in the intervention group completed the 12-month sensomotor Balance Training Programme in an outpatient setting, guided by physical therapists, three times a week, for 30 minutes. Results: The Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test showed a statistically significant improvement of balance in the intervention group ( p = 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Balance tests using the stabilometer also showed a statistically significant improvement in static and dynamic postural balance for osteoporotic women after the completion of the Balance Training Programme. As a consequence, the one-year exercise programme significantly decreased the number of falls in the exercise group compared with the control group. Conclusion: The Balance Training Programme significantly improved the balance parameters and reduced the number of falls in postmenopausal women who have already had at least one fracture in the past.


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