Active clinical trials for "Paresis"

The purpose of the study is to assess implementation and effectiveness of a caregiver-delivered rehabilitation intervention for infants and toddlers with cerebral palsy.

Acquired Neuromyopathy of Resuscitation (NMAR) is a common condition. Its diagnosis is difficult and often late because it is based on a clinical assessment of muscle strength (MRC score) requiring the patient to be awake and cooperative. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation consists of applying electrical stimulation along the path of a motor nerve in order to generate contraction of the previously relaxed muscle. The mechanical response thus generated is recorded and allows the muscular strength developed to be assessed. Non-invasive and easily performed in the patient's bed, transcutaneous electrical stimulation could be an interesting alternative for early assessment of muscle strength in the still sedated resuscitation patient. However, this technique could be perceived as uncomfortable or painful in the awake patient so that magnetic stimulation, which is generally much better tolerated, should be preferred. However, magnetic stimulators have a limited maximum magnetic field which may prevent supramaximal stimulation especially in patients developing generalized edema (i.e., in the initial resuscitation phase).

The goal of this research is to provide limb training in children with hemiplegia using a bimanual-to-unimanual training approach. Twenty pediatric patients aged 5-17 years with acquired brain injury will receive training on the bimanual-to-unimanual device for a period of 9 weeks. During the training, children use both arms to operate robotic arms to play a video game. We will assess changes in hand impairment after the training.

This study evaluates a new rehabilitation approach for stroke survivors in the chronic phase of recovery in which the combination of drug therapy (cyproheptadine) and active movement practice (AMP) is used to encourage increased voluntary muscle control and strength.

People with one arm that does not function well due to a stroke, head injury, or cerebral palsy, and a fully functional other arm, will be randomly assigned to receive one of the two interventions first, followed by the other intervention. The two interventions include a task-based intervention and a virtual reality intervention that provides a reflected image of the involved arm. The task-based intervention will consist of setting up activities of interest to be done using the involved arm and structuring practice and meaningful feedback to assist learning. The virtual reality intervention will consist of the person wearing the virtual reality device and practicing virtual tasks using the intact arm while seeing the involved arm. Intervention sessions will last approximately 30 minutes and will be held 3 times/week for 3 weeks each for a total of 9 sessions for each intervention. Testing of the involved arm's function will be done before the interventions, after receiving 9 sessions of each intervention, and one month after completing the second intervention received.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the limb functional improvement after contralateral C7 root transfer in stroke patients.

Spastic paresis (SP) is a common motor condition in children and is often caused by cerebral palsy. Skeletal muscles develop differently in children with SP due to brain damage in early development; muscle strength and muscle length are reduced compared to typically developing (TD) children. Especially, the calf muscles are affected, which particularly affects their ability to walk and to run, hindering participation in society. There are several treatments aimed to increase the range of motion of the joint by lengthening the muscle, for example botulinum toxin injections. However, these treatments can have a weakening effect on the muscle due to deconditioning from immobilization and due to paralysis. In rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands functional power training (MegaPower) is offered to children with SP who want to walk and run better. It has been shown that this training improves calf muscle strength and performance during functional walking tests. However, the effect of MegaPower training on muscle morphology (i.a. muscle volume and length) is still unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effect of MegaPower training on the muscle morphology of the medial gastrocnemius in children with SP using 3D ultrasonography. It is expected that MegaPower training results in an increase of muscle volume as well as elongation of the muscle belly. Muscle volume could increase due to hypertrophy of the muscle fibers induced by the training, which could elongate the muscle belly length due to the pennate structure of the medial gastrocnemius. A double-baseline design will be applied for this study with three different measurement times (T0-T1-T2) to compare the training period (12 weeks) with a period (12 weeks) of usual care.

Many people with partial damages in their spinal cord (iSCI) have physical impairments such as muscle paralysis in legs which make standing balance difficult. Poor balance control often leads to falls, injuries, and hospitalization. Therefore, improvement of standing balance is an important therapeutic goal for these individuals. Our team has shown that a therapy called visual feedback training (VFT) can improve standing balance by allowing individuals with iSCI to actively participate and follow visual feedback of their body sway on a screen like a computer game. We have also found that the application of low-energy electrical pulses to weak muscles called functional electrical stimulation (FES) during VFT can enhance the training effects. Recently, transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) has been discussed as a promising technique to further promote the rehabilitation effects after SCI by enhancing the connectivity between the brain and spinal cord and within the spinal pathways. However, to date, the potential of combining the two techniques (TSCS+FES) to improve the standing balance remains unknown. In this study, through the completion of a clinical trial, we will investigate the effects of an intervention that combines lumbar TSCS with FES of ankle muscles during VFT on the functional and neurophysiological outcomes in individuals living with iSCI. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive combined TSCS with FES or FES alone during VFT for 12 training sessions over 4 weeks. We expect that the new therapy would further improve balance and strengthen the neural connections between the brain and muscles. The expected changes in the neural connections will be measured by recording electrical signals from the lower limb muscles following stimulation of the motor region of the brain. Results of this study will be used for a larger-scale study in people with iSCI to improve balance and reduce falls during their daily life activities.

The goal of this study is to: Assess the usability of the SynPhNe device in a home environment. Evaluate the efficacy of the SynPhNe home use device to improve motor hand function in chronic stroke subjects when used with a few sessions of standard care, as compared to standard care alone.

The goal of this study is to define the efficacy of fully remote home-based BCI therapy in chronic hemiparetic subcortical stroke patients. A randomized controlled study using the integrated remote BCI system will be tested against standard exercise therapy to determine the efficacy of motor improvement in chronic stroke patients with an upper extremity hemiparesis. Specifically, the integrated BCI system will include 1) the remote screening and motor assessment system for the upper extremity and 2) the BCI-controlled robotic hand exoskeleton (i.e. IpsiHand).