Neurorehabilitation and neural repair
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Oct 2018
Randomized Controlled TrialElectrical Somatosensory Stimulation in Early Rehabilitation of Arm Paresis After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Arm paresis is present in 48% to 77% of acute stroke patients. Complete functional recovery is reported in only 12% to 34%. Although the arm recovery is most pronounced during the first 4 weeks poststroke, few studies examined the effect of upper extremity interventions during this period. ⋯ Providing the present ESS protocol prior to arm training was equally beneficial as arm training alone. These results are valid for patients with mild-to-moderate stroke and moderate arm impairments. We cannot exclude benefits in patients with other characteristics, in other time intervals poststroke or using a different ESS protocol.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Oct 2018
Relating Anticipatory Postural Adjustments to Step Outcomes During Loss of Balance in People With Parkinson's Disease.
Effective protective steps are critical for fall prevention, and anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) after a perturbation but prior to protective steps affect step performance. Although APAs prior to protective steps are altered in people with Parkinson's disease (PD), whether these changes affect subsequent step performance is poorly understood. ⋯ During forward protective stepping, larger APAs were associated with larger and later steps, suggesting APA size may have mixed effects on the subsequent step. During backward stepping, larger APAs were associated with worse stepping outcomes (ie, later steps, smaller anterior-posterior margin of stability, worse clinical outcomes). Interventions aimed at improving APAs in PD should monitor spatial and temporal protective step outcomes to ensure treatment does not negatively affect protective steps, particularly for forward stepping.