Brachial Neuritis Clinical Trial
Official title:
Neuralgic Amyotrophy: Central Reorganization and Rehabilitation After Peripheral Dysfunction
This study evaluates the effect of a specific, multidisciplinary and personalized rehabilitation program compared to usual care, on motor control and functional disability in patients with neuralgic amyotrophy. Half of the participants will start with the 17-week specific rehabilitation program while the other half will first continue their usual care for 17 weeks, after which they will also receive the 17-week specific rehabilitation program.
Neuralgic amyotrophy (NA) is a common (incidence 1:1000) peripheral nervous system disorder caused by acute autoimmune inflammation of the brachial plexus, the nerve bundle going to the shoulder and arm. Many NA patients develop abnormal motor control of the shoulder region (i.e. scapular dyskinesia), which persists even after the peripheral nerve damage has recovered. This suggests that persistent scapular dyskinesia in NA may result from (mal)adaptive changes in the central motor system. Clinical experience shows that the specific, multidisciplinary and personalized rehabilitation program, focused on cognitive motor control can restore scapular dyskinesia in NA patients. This indicates that impairments in the central motor system likely play a role in persistent scapular dyskinesia and that specific rehabilitation may restore any alterations in central motor control. We hypothesize that the specific rehabilitation program, focused on cognitive motor control is more effective in improving functional disability than usual care and that it can reverse maladaptive changes in central motor control. ;