Stroke physical therapy

Contemporary medical therapy consists of identification and treatment of all patient-modifiable vascular risk factors. Specific atherosclerotic disease therapies are designed to reduce the risk of thrombosis, and the disease progression in order to reduce the risk of future cardiovascular events. Contemporary medical management emphasizes the need to support the patient in achieving lifestyle modifications and to adjust medication to achieve individualized target values for specific quantifiable risk factors...

Human-Robot Interaction is a prominent field of robotics today. Knowledge of human-human physical interaction can prove vital in creating dynamic physical interactions between human and robots. Most of the current work in studying this interaction has been from a haptic perspective. Through this paper, we present metrics that can be used to identify if a physical interaction occurred between two people using kinematics. We present a simple Activity of Daily Living (ADL) task which involves a simple interaction...

The prevalence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity is high in people with stroke. Risk factors for these conditions include hypertension, high cholesterol, and physical inactivity. These risk factors are common in people with stroke and often go unmanaged. Engagement in healthy behaviors is important for managing and preventing these risk factors and comorbid conditions. More specifically, physical activity and nutrition are key health behaviors for the management and maintenance of health in people with stroke...

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether receipt of therapy and number and timing of therapy visits decreased hospital readmission risk in stroke survivors discharged home. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis of Medicare claims (2010-2013). SETTING: Acute care hospital and community. PARTICIPANTS: Patients hospitalized for stroke who were discharged home and survived the first 30 days (N=23,413; mean [SD] age of 77.6 [7.5] years)...

BACKGROUND: Robots that physically assist movement are increasingly used in rehabilitation therapy after stroke, yet some studies suggest robotic assistance discourages effort and reduces motor learning. OBJECTIVE: To determine the therapeutic effects of high and low levels of robotic assistance during finger training. METHODS: We designed a protocol that varied the amount of robotic assistance while controlling the number, amplitude, and exerted effort of training movements...

The discovery of cortical neurons responsive to both the observation of another individual's movement and one's own physical movement has spurred scientists into utilising this interplay for rehabilitation. The idea that humans can quickly transfer motor programmes or refine existing motor strategies through observation has only recently gained interest in the context of gait rehabilitation but may offer significant promise as an adjunctive therapy to routine balance training. This review is the first dedicated to action observation in postural control or gait in healthy individuals and patients...

Rotator cuff tear is a common disease affecting patients after stroke. It's a cause of pain and dysfunction that may compromise normal stroke rehabilitation. For many cases there is still controversy between whether to use surgical or conservative intervention. Treatment for cuff tears range from physical therapy to surgery. This paper describes for the first time the effect of Fascial Manipulation(®) (FM(®)) on rotator cuff tear in a post stroke patient. A 69 year old female stroke patient with full absence of distal components of the tendons of the rotator cuff, functional limitations on active movement of shoulder flexion and abduction of the left arm and perceived pain scored 10/10 on the Visual Analogic Scale, was assessed and treat with one session of FM(®) A basic theory that explains the healing results of FM(®) is that mechanoreceptors, such as spindle cells and other receptors, are located in the deep fascia and activated when movement are performed...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of task-oriented training with altered somatosensory input on the balance ability of chronic stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-six subjects with chronic stroke were divided into an experimental group (n=14) and a control group (n=12). Both groups attended physical therapy sessions five times a week for four weeks. The experimental group performed additional, task-oriented training with altered sensory input three times a week for four weeks...

[Purpose] This study sought to examine the effects of Pedalo(®) training on balance and fall risk in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-one subjects with stroke were recruited and randomly allocated into two groups: the Pedalo(®) group (n=15) and the Treadmill group (n=16). The Pedalo(®) group performed conventional physical therapy program with Pedalo(®) training for 30 minutes, five times a week, for 8 weeks, while the Treadmill group conducted conventional physical therapy programs and treadmill gait training for 30 minutes, five times a week, for 8 weeks...

BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common sequela of upper motor neuron pathology, such as cerebrovascular diseases and cerebral palsy. Intervention for spasticity of the ankle plantarflexors in physical therapy may include tone-inhibiting casting and/or orthoses for the ankle and foot. However, the physiological mechanism of tone reduction by such orthoses remains unclarified. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the electrophysiologic effects of tone-inhibiting insoles in stroke subjects with hemiparesis by measuring changes in reciprocal Ia inhibition (RI) in the ankle plantarflexor...

BACKGROUND: Alterations in respiratory system kinematics in stroke lead to restrictive pattern associated with decreased lung volumes. Chest physical therapy, such as positive expiratory pressure, may be useful in the treatment of these patients; however, the optimum intensity to promote volume and motion changes of the chest wall remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of different intensities of positive expiratory pressure on chest wall kinematics in subjects with stroke compared to healthy controls...

BACKGROUND: Stroke survivors are discharged home before they are functionally independent and return home with activity limitations that would not be manageable without a caregiver. AIM: To determine stroke survivors' levels of community reintegration, quality of life (QOL), satisfaction with the physiotherapy services and the level of caregiver strain at community health centres within the Johannesburg area. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional study using the following outcome measures: Maleka Stroke Community Reintegration Measure, Stroke-specific quality of life scale, Caregiver strain index and Physical therapy patient satisfaction questionnaire...

Early mobilization and rehabilitation, multidisciplinary stroke expertise and comprehensive therapies are fundamental in a stroke unit. To achieve effective and safe stroke care, the physical environment in modern stroke units should facilitate the delivery of evidence-based care. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore patients' activities and interactions in a stroke unit before the reconstruction of the physical environment, while in a temporary location and after reconstruction. This case study examined a stroke unit as an integrated whole...

BACKGROUND: A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Activities of daily living (ADL) are daily home-based activities that people carry out to maintain health and well-being. ADLs include the ability to: eat and drink unassisted, move, go to the toilet, carry out personal hygiene tasks, dress unassisted, and groom. Stroke causes impairment-related functional limitations that may result in difficulties participating in ADLs independent of supervision, direction, or physical assistance...

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of novel interactive, motion capture-rehabilitation software to usual care stroke rehabilitation on physical function. DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Two subacute hospital rehabilitation units in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: In all, 73 people less than six months after stroke with reduced mobility and clinician determined capacity to improve. INTERVENTIONS: Both groups received functional retraining and individualized programs for up to an hour, on weekdays for 8-40 sessions (dose matched)...

Extracorporeal shock wave (ESW) is a physical factor, of which the clinical use is observed in a wide range of disorders, particularly musculoskeletal dysfunctions. Recently, one can observe that the list of indications for ESW treatment is continuously growing and adapting the increasingly different systemic diseases in terms of etiology and pathomechanism. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the potential biological mechanisms of ESW stimulation conditioning advantageous and desirable therapeutic effects are not clearly explained...

Essential facts [Figure: see text] Around 400 children in the UK have a stroke each year, leaving many with severe physical and mental impairments. Many professionals and parents can mistakenly think that strokes only affect older people, leading to delays in diagnosis and prompt treatment. Children may need long-term support including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and support with education.

BACKGROUND: Physical activity and exercise interventions are useful in facilitating the functional recovery of those with chronic stroke and, routinely, are gait-specific. While treadmill training has proven useful in gait performance recovery post-stroke, its efficacy on balance dysfunction has not been  systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effect of treadmill training (TT) interventions on balance dysfunction in individuals with chronic stroke...

BACKGROUND: Dysphagia is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in stroke patients. AIMS: As the first study in literature, we aimed to evaluate the effects of sensory-level electrical stimulation (SES) to bilateral masseter muscles in early stroke patients with dysphagia. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was conducted at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic of our hospital between 2013 and 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with dysphagia within the first month after ischemic stroke were included in this study...

BACKGROUND: Molecular hydrogen (H2) acts as a therapeutic antioxidant. Inhalation of H2 gas (1-4%) was effective for the improvement of cerebral infarction in multiple animal experiments. Thus, for actual applications, a randomized controlled clinical study is desired to evaluate the effects of inhalation of H2 gas. Here, we evaluate the H2 treatment on acute cerebral infarction. METHODS: Through this randomized controlled clinical study, we assessed the safety and effectiveness of H2 treatment in patients with cerebral infarction in an acute stage with mild- to moderate-severity National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (NIHSS = 2-6)...