Standing Neurophysiological Assessment of Lower Extremity Muscles Post-Stroke

Objective: Submissions on recovery of post-stroke motor performance vary, especially in relation to increasing time after stroke. This study examined the trajectory of motor performance over the first 12 months after stroke.Methods: Consecutive first-incidence stroke survivors (N = 83) were recruited within 1 month of onset from a tertiary health institution in Nigeria. Simplified Fugl Meyer scale (S-FM) was used to assess motor performance at monthly intervals. Changes in overall motor performance, and differences between the affected upper and lower extremities, were examined using Friedman's ANOVA and paired t-tests, respectively.Results: Significant improvement in motor performance was observed across 12 months (p < .001), with the proportion of stroke survivors with severe impairment at onset (53.3%) decreasing to 20% by 12 months. Lower extremity motor performance scores were significantly higher than for the upper extremity from 1 to 12 months (p <.01 at 3, 4, 5, 6 and 12 months; and p < .05 at the remaining months).Conclusions: The potential for long-term improvement in motor performance after stroke was observed, suggesting that this can be harnessed by long-term rehabilitation efforts. The comparatively poorer outcome in the upper extremity indicates the need for extra rehabilitation strategies to enhance upper-extremity motor recovery in the first year of stroke.

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Systematic Review: Effectiveness of Mirror Therapy for Lower Extremity Post-Stroke

Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy ◽

10.1016/j.hkjot.2015.12.003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 51-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Goris Kin Nga Hung ◽

Cabbee Tsz Lui Li ◽

Alexander Miles Yiu ◽

Kenneth N.K. Fong

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Mirror Therapy ◽

Post Stroke

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The effect of mirror therapy on lower extremity motor function and ambulation in post-stroke patients: A prospective, randomized-controlled study

Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ◽

10.5606/tftrd.2020.2719 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 154-160

Author(s):

Hatice İkizler May

Keyword(s):

Lower Extremity ◽

Motor Function ◽

Randomized Controlled Study ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Mirror Therapy ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Post Stroke ◽

Randomized Controlled

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Virtual Reality and Physiotherapy in Post-Stroke Functional Re-Education of the Lower Extremity: A Controlled Clinical Trial on a New Approach

Journal of Personalized Medicine ◽

10.3390/jpm11111210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 1210

Author(s):

Carlos Luque-Moreno ◽

Pawel Kiper ◽

Ignacio Solís-Marcos ◽

Michela Agostini ◽

Andrea Polli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Lower Extremity ◽

Combined Therapy ◽

Functional Independence Measure ◽

Functional Independence ◽

Controlled Clinical Trial ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Trunk Control ◽

Post Stroke

Numerous Virtual Reality (VR) systems address post-stroke functional recovery of the lower extremity (LE), most of them with low early applicability due to the gait autonomy they require. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of a specific VR treatment and its clinical effect on LE functionality, gait, balance, and trunk control post-stroke. A controlled, prospective, clinical trial was carried out with 20 stroke patients, who were divided into two groups: the first group (VR + CP; n = 10) received combined therapy of 1 h VR and 1 h of conventional physiotherapy (CP) and the second group (CP; n = 10) received 2 h of CP (5 days/week, for 3 weeks). The following pre-post-intervention measuring scales were used: Functional Ambulatory Scale (FAC), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FM), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and Trunk Control Test (TCT). Only VR + CP showed a significant improvement in FAC. In FIM, CP presented a tendency to significance, whereas VR + CP showed significance. Both groups improved significantly in FM (especially in amplitude/pain in VR + CP and in sensitivity in CP) and in BBS. In TCT, there was a non-significant improvement in both groups. The results indicate that the intervention with VR is a feasible treatment in the post-stroke functional re-education of the LE, with the potential to be an optimal complement of CP.

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