Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation
-
Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Feb 2007
Randomized Controlled TrialRobotic-assisted rehabilitation of the upper limb after acute stroke.
To investigate whether early therapy with a novel robotic device can reduce motor impairment and enhance functional recovery of poststroke patients with hemiparetic and hemiplegic upper limb. ⋯ Patients who received robotic therapy in addition to conventional therapy showed greater reductions in motor impairment and improvements in functional abilities. Robotic therapy may therefore effectively complement standard rehabilitation from the start, by providing therapeutic support for patients with poststroke plegic and paretic upper limb.
-
Arch Phys Med Rehabil · Feb 2007
Case ReportsPostherpetic neuralgia involving the right C5 dermatome treated with a cervical transforaminal epidural steroid injection: a case report.
A 66-year-old woman presented with 2 weeks of debilitating right upper-limb pain with a vesicular rash over the right C5 dermatome secondary to herpes zoster. Her pain failed to improve with: oral narcotics, divalproex, gabapentin, pregabalin, and topical 2% lidocaine cream. Six weeks postonset, a right C5 transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TESI) under fluoroscopic guidance was performed. ⋯ She remained pain-free 3 months later. In this case, the use of a cervical TESI provided dramatic results in the treatment of debilitating postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Further investigation is needed to determine the efficacy of TESI in the early management of PHN.