Prevalence of Postural Patterns of Upper Extremity.
Spasticity as Sequela of StrokeStroke1 moreA high number of patient with stroke develops spasticity of the upper extremity, this clinical sign of damage of 1 motoneuro (MN), causes postures and patterns of abnormal movement, due to the hyperexcitability of the MN and the rheological alterations that occur in the affected muscles. These alterations limit the use of upper extremity, restricting its use in functional activities and affecting the quality of life and social participation of the users. During the last few years the classification of the Hefter patterns for spasticity of the upper limb was created, with the end of having a common language and orienting the current therapeutic strategies oriented towards the arm. Objective: To determine the prevalence of patterns and their impact on the quality of life of patients after a stroke. Material and method: Descriptive design of cross section, the sample will be composed of 600 people who attend integral rehabilitation center of regions V, VIII, IX and X in Chile, that meet the inclusion criteria and sign the informed consent. The study will include a measurement made by a trained professional from each participating center using a registration form, the FIM scale and the Barthel index, to assess quality of life. Results: It will be analyzed with the SPSS software through descriptive and inferential statistics considering the nature of the variables, all the analyzes will consider as statistically significant the results with p values less than or equal to 0.05. Depending on the interval or ordinal level of the measurements, the coefficients r of Pearson and rho of Spearman will be used to calculate the correlations. Applicability: The results will determine the prevalence in this geographical sector, disseminate this classification and promote the use of a common language among professionals to enhance their daily work. In addition, it will allow to determine how the affectation of the upper extremity through the identification of a certain pattern alters the quality of life of the patient. This new information can be a fundamental input in the generation of future studies that seek to guide in relation to the use of therapeutic strategies in these people.
Perinatal Stroke: Understanding Brain Reorganization
StrokeHemiparesisThe incidence of perinatal stroke is relatively common, as high as 1 in 2,300 births, but little is known about the resulting changes in the brain that eventually manifest as cerebral palsy (CP). Motor signs that indicate the infant is beginning to develop CP often do not become evident for several months after the diagnosis of perinatal stroke which delays therapy. The main purpose of this study is to examine early brain reorganization in infants 3-12 months of age corrected for prematurity with perinatal stroke using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In addition, the association between the brain reorganization and motor outcomes of these infant participants will be identified. In this study, the MRI scans will include diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) - an established method used to investigate the integrity of pathways in the brain that control limb movement. Infants will be scanned during nature sleeping after feeding. The real scanning time will be less than 38 minutes. TMS is a painless, non-surgical brain stimulation device which uses principles of electromagnetic induction to excite cortical tissue from outside the skull. Using TMS as a device to modulate and examine cortical excitability in children with hemiparetic CP and in adults has been conducted previously. In this infant study, we will assess cortical excitability from the motor cortex of both the ipsilesional and contralesional hemispheres under the guidance of a frameless stereotactic neuronavigation system. Additionally, the investigators will assess infants' movement quality using an age-appropriate standardized movement assessment. This will allow the investigators to examine the relationship between measures of motor pathway integrity and early signs of potential motor impairment. We will longitudinally follow enrolled infants, and complete repeat assessments at 12- and 24-months corrected age to assess how infants develop over time after perinatal stroke. The remote follow-up will occur at 5 years or less.
Visual Observation Scale for the Upper Limb During Walking in Patients After Stroke.
GaitHemiplegic2 moreFor several years now, it has been demonstrated that the upper limb plays an important role in the function of an efficient and balanced gait pattern in healthy adults. After a stroke, the reduced muscle strength has a clear influence on the gait pattern, but also on the active movement possibilities of the upper limb. However, the role of the upper limb during gait is not sufficiently explored in the literature. The gold standard for motion analysis is a 3D analysis performed with infrared cameras capturing reflective markers during gait. Unfortunately, it is not possible for all people after a stroke to undergo this examination. On the one hand, patients must already have a certain degree of independence with regard to gait. On the other hand, not all centers have access to this expensive accommodation. There are some validated observation scales for people after stroke to describe the gait based on a 2D video image. This method is much more accessible and can be applied by any therapist. However, to date there has been little attention paid to the upper limb in these observation scales. Therefore, analogous to the observation scales for gait, an observation scale for the upper limb during gait was set up. The use of this scale can add value to the rehabilitation of people after a stroke. The treatment team will receive information about the patient's complete movement pattern. The arm will be more prominent when setting rehabilitation goals related to gait. This can lead to a positive effect on the gait pattern itself, but also to more attention being paid to the arm, which has a more difficult recovery than the leg after a stroke. The aim of the current study will be to determine the inter and intra tester reliability of this visual observation scale to investigate if the results of the visual observation scale correlate to a 3D assessment performed in a subgroup of participants
Muscle Weakness in COVID-19 Patients
SARS-CoV InfectionCovid192 moreAlthough the Covid-19 infection mainly manifests itself with respiratory symptoms, as early as two months after the onset of the pandemic, the presence of other symptoms, including muscle ones, became clear. With the disappearance of the emergency and the advancement of knowledge, medium- and long-term effects have been reported at the level of different organs and systems. Many patients, after several months from infection, report intolerance to exercise and many suffer from pain and muscle weakness. No studies has been carried out on the muscular consequences of the infection and on their possible contribution to intolerance to exercise. Since skeletal muscle possesses the ACE2 receptor (Angiotensin converting enzyme 2) to which SARS-Cov-2 binds, it follows that the involvement of the skeletal muscle could be due not only to the secondary effects of the infection (e.g. reduced oxygen supply from persistent lung disease, perfusion defects from cardiovascular defects and vascular damage), but also to the direct action of virus (SARS-Cov-2 myositis). The general purpose of the research is to quantify the spread of symptoms and signs of muscle weakness and pain among the patient population welcomed at the Cardiorespiratory Rehabilitation Department of the Alexandria Hospital which have been suffering from SARS-CoV-2, being discharged and healed for more than two months, and define the possible contribution of muscular modifications to exercise intolerance.
External Lid Loading for the Temporary Treatment of the Paresis of the M. Orbicularis Oculi: a Clinical...
Incomplete Closure of LidParotis Tumor1 moreThe note re-introduces the external lid loading with the help of a lead weight for the temporary treatment of lagophthalmos. Although simple and effective, the technique is rarely used.Instead of wearing a monoculus, the patient uses an individually tailored lead weight (0.8 mm thickness, 1.0 -2.0 g) sticked on the lid, it enables its closure. A spontaneous ptosis indicates a too heavy weight. With the M. levator palpebrae intact, lid lifting is possible. The effect is gravity dependent, so that the patient has to wear the monoculus at night. To minimize the risk of lead intoxication, the surface of the weight is varnished. In case of a persistent paresis of the M. orbicularis oculi an internal lid loading can follow. A total of 152 lagophthalmos cases have been treated since 1997.All patients could close the lid immediately. Almost half of the patients had to re-adjust the weight several times per day due to hooded eyelids. The compliance was high, and a partial or complete restoration of the function of the M. orbicularis oculi occurred in 60% of the cases. In some subjects, the restoration of the M. orbicularis oculi was faster than of the M. orbicularis orbis. The external lid loading for the temporary treatment of lagophthalmos is simple and effective. Compared to a monoculus, the vision is unimpaired and the aesthetic is more appropriate for most patients. The faster restoration of the M. orbicularis oculi hints at a potentially facilitatory effect of the weight.
Cough in Reduced True Vocal Fold Mobility
Unilateral Vocal Cord ParesisUnilateral Vocal Cord ParalysisThis project is a first attempt to assess cough airflow dynamics and true vocal fold (TVF) adduction and abduction angles during voluntary cough to examine the effects of changes in glottal closure due to reduced mobility of one true vocal fold. The hypothesis of this study is that the incomplete glottal closure due to reduced vocal fold mobility will result in changes in true vocal fold adductory and abductory angles during cough and will result in changes to voluntary cough airflow parameters. This study results will contribute to the existing knowledge of the laryngeal contribution to cough airflow dynamics.
Evaluation of a Wearable Exoskeleton for Functional Arm Training
StrokePost-Stroke HemiparesisThe purpose of this study is to investigate how the cable-driven arm exoskeleton (CAREX) can assist task performance during 3D arm movement tasks under various experimental conditions in healthy individuals and patients with stroke. This study is designed to test motor learning with the robotic rehabilitative device CAREX under three conditions in healthy subjects and subjects with post-stroke hemiparesis.
Upper Extremity Rehabilitation With the BURT Robotic Arm
StrokeHemiparesisThe overall objective of the proposed study is to carry out usability and design-evaluation assessments of the BURT robotic device for delivering long-term intervention in stroke survivors. The BURT is an upper extremity robotic device that enables the user to see and feel engaging games that encourage intensive therapy. The investigators intend to recruit up to 10 stroke survivors over the course of the study. Participants will train their arm with the BURT for 18 sessions over approximately 6 weeks then participate in a question/answer formatted discussion with research staff to discuss the usability of the device. The investigators will also assess participant's arm function at baseline and after the training sessions.
Antagonist Activation Measurement at the Ankle Using High-density and Bipolar Surface EMG in Chronic...
StrokeMuscle Hypertonia2 moreIn chronic hemiparesis, abnormal antagonist muscle activation in the paretic lower limb contributes to impair ambulation capacities. A biased estimate of antagonist muscle activation when using surface bipolar EMG compared with high-density (HD) EMG has been previously reported in healthy subjects. The present study compares muscles cocontraction at the paretic ankle estimated with a pair of and multi-channel surface EMG.
The Incidence and Impact of Vocal Cord Dysfunction In Patients Undergoing Thoracic Surgery
Vocal Cord ParesisAcquired Vocal Cord PalsyPopulation-based single centre, blinded, prospective cohort study of the impact of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury on Thoracic Surgery patients. The principal outcome of interest is the effect of RLN injury on respiratory complications. Voice, swallowing, cardiac and mortality outcomes will also be determined.