Active clinical trials for "Muscle Weakness"

Spinal cord injury (SCI), especially involving the cervical and upper thoracic segments, can significantly compromise respiratory muscle function. Respiratory complications can ensue, including lung collapse and pneumonia, which are the primary cause for mortality in association with traumatic SCI both during the acute and chronic phases post-injury. Lesions at the level of the cervical or high thoracic spinal cord result in respiratory muscle weakness, which is associated with ineffective cough, mucus retention, and mucus plugging. Despite the fact that pulmonary complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in this population, there is a paucity of effective interventions in the SCI population known to improve respiratory muscle strength with pharmacologic interventions receiving little to no attention. The current objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of 16 weeks of sustained release oral Albuterol to; (1) improve respiratory muscular strength, and (2) improve cough effectiveness.

Evaluation of a new EMG controlled game to improve hand function in chronic stroke survivors.

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 investigator proposes to conduct a randomized trial of supervised ambulation delivered by mobility technician (MT) up to three times daily, including weekends, to hospitalized medical patients. The aims of the study are to compare the short and intermediate-term outcomes of patients randomized to the intervention versus those patients randomized to receive usual care, to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from the intervention and to assess whether the intervention increases or decreases overall costs of an episode of care, including the cost of the MTs, the index hospitalization and the first 30 days post enrollment.

The objective of intensive care therapists is to be able to detect as early as possible the muscle weakness acquired in intensive care, in order to implement curative strategies such as adapted nutrition and early rehabilitation. Various diagnostic tools are available for this purpose. To evaluate muscle mass, CT and MRI remain the gold standard but are difficult to implement in routine practice in ICU and are extremely expensive and can generate radiation for the patient. Functional muscle evaluation is based on different voluntary tests which are not all able to predict muscle weakness acquired in ICU. In addition, some of the voluntary tests are expensive and require expert staff for practice and interpretation of results. In addition, a muscle test such as MRC, although having an intraclass coefficient of 0.94, has little predictive value on clinical parameters such as mechanical ventilation duration and is not associated with mortality in the ward. However, it remains the test of choice to define a ICUAW with a threshold value of 48/60 points. Dynamometry is a tool for measuring muscle strength. The patient is asked to perform a short and intense maximal muscular effort against manual or instrumental resistance. The limb segments must not move, it is an isometric effort. The most common measurement in intensive care units is the dynamometric grip force, called "handgrip". In ICU, the patient may have touble with awareness, arousal or even comprehension, which will lead to biases in the evaluation of the motor force. Ultrasound is a tool available in ICU and the muscle component can be assessed qualitatively or quantitatively without the patient's participation. Several studies have also demonstrated that muscle ultrasound is capable of reliably detecting pathological changes, particularly when repeated. Muscle ultrasound could thus help identify patients at higher risk of prolonged complications. Nevertheless, this technique lacks standardization and normative criteria (patient position, probe position, type and number of measurements, target muscle, etc.). The main objective is to show that the dynamometric force relative to ultrasound thickness of several muscle groups (arm flexors/knee extensors/foot lifters) is correlated with manual MRC testing in intensive care unit (ICU) patients

The primary purpose of the study is to assess the muscle contractility and sensitivity of lumbar erector spinae, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus short-term response to Tabata kettlebell swing protocol.

The purpose of this study is to assess the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety, tolerability, immunogenicity and activity of zilucoplan (ZLP) in pediatric study participants with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG).

As a part of the Olympic program and with 150 countries in the international Handball Federation team handball has become a worldwide popular sport. Unfortunately, a large number of different types injuries have been reported among team handball players, and shoulder pain has some of the biggest incidence. In handball 44-75% of the athletes had a history of shoulder pain and a weekly prevalence of shoulder problems in 28% of the athletes. Shoulder pain has been reported to have an impact on the athletes' training activities, performance, and daily life. Several studies have established risk factors for shoulder injuries among overhead athletes, with a focus on the range of motion in glenohumeral joint (ROM), shoulder strength and scapula control. Injury occurrence results from a combination of possessing these different risk and the amount of throwing. Thereby training overhead sports must be considered a primary risk factor for shoulder injury. However, several studies have performed kinematics analysis of different throws techniques commonly used in team handball. But no studies havn't investigated kinematics and kinetics of different throwing techniques in relation to team handball players and the development of shoulder pain, and if a throwing technique or a wrong throwing technique stresses the shoulder joint more than other throwing techniques. In baseball it was found that youth pitchers throwing with a curveball was associated with a 52% increased risk of shoulder pain and the slider was associated with an 86% increased risk of elbow pain, and there was a significant association between number of throws and rate of shoulder pain. Two types of wind-ups are used in handball, and those different wind-ups also changed the throwing kinematics and throwing performance. Investigators found that the pelvis rotation was more important in the throw with the circular wind-up than in the whip-like wind up. In addition, the total throwing time was longer with the circular wind up. This could result in less stress and forces on the shoulder joint when compared with the whip like to reach the same performances. The questions arises whether the used throwing techniques of the handball players during training and matches are a risk factor for shoulder pain and if some throwing techniques cause bigger risk than other throwing techniques as the players could put more force on the shoulder and elbow joint.

This study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of tacrolimus combined with low-dose prednisone in the management of myasthenia gravis patients, compared to tacrolimus as initial immune monotherapy.

Hemodialysis is currently the most commonly used renal replacement therapy. Compared with arteriovenous graft, central venous catheter, and autologous arteriovenous fistula, the possibility of postoperative re-dredging is low and there are few complications, so isometric hand exercise training is the first choice for hemodialysis strategy. The intervention of smart technology has greatly improved the treatment effect and quality of life of patients, and it has unique advantages when applied to health care or behavior change intervention programs. This study expects to enhance hand grip strength through interactive hand exercise games combined with grip strength equipment, thereby increasing the vascular maturity of patients with postoperative autologous arteriovenous fistula, and enhancing the motivation of patients to participate.