View clinical trials related to Spasticity as Sequela of Stroke.
Filter by:Spasticity, common after a stroke, aggravates the patient's motor impairment causing pain and limitation in daily activities such as eating, dressing and walking. There are different spasticity treatments, such as botulinum neurotoxin, in the first place. Among the emerging therapies is focal extracorporeal shock wave therapy, consisting of a sequence of sonic (mechanical) impulses with high peak pressure. Systematic reviews highlighted that shock waves effectively improve lower and upper limb spasticity. Moreover, the shock waves therapeutic effect can last up to 12 weeks from the last treatment session. When used to treat stroke spasticity, the shock waves' mechanism of action is poorly detailed. On the one side, shock waves could change the physical properties of the muscular tissue (e.g. viscosity, rigidity). On the other, the shock waves produce a robust mechanical stimulation that massively activates muscle and skin mechanoreceptors (e.g. muscle spindles). This activation would modulate, in turn, the spinal (and supra-spinal) circuits involved in spasticity. To our knowledge, no study investigated the shock waves mechanism of action in stroke upper limb spasticity. Research question: do shock waves exert their therapeutic effect on spasticity by changing the muscle's physical properties or by indirectly modulating the excitability of spinal circuits? Specific aims: To investigate the mechanism of action of shock wave therapy as a treatment of upper limb spasticity after a stroke. Two major hypotheses will be contrasted: shock waves reduce hypertonia 1) by changing the muscle's physical features or 2) by changing the motoneurons excitability and the excitability of the stretch reflex spinal circuits. Shock wave therapy is expected to improve spasticity, thus improving the following clinical tests: the Modified Ashworth Scale (an ordinal score of spasticity) and the Functional Assessment for Upper Limb (FAST-UL, an ordinal score of upper limb dexterity). This clinical improvement is expected to be associated with changes in spastic muscle echotexture assessed with ultrasounds, such as an improvement in the Heckmatt scale (an ordinal score of muscle echotexture in spasticity). Clinical improvement is also expected to be associated with an improvement in the following neurophysiological parameters: a reduction of the H/Mmax ratio (an index of hyperexcitability of the monosynaptic stretch reflex circuit), a decrease in amplitude of the F waves (a neurophysiological signal reflecting the excitability of single/restricted motoneurones) and an increase of the homosynaptic depression (also known as post-activation depression, reflecting the excitability of the transmission between the Ia fibres and motoneurones). Understanding the shock wave mechanism of action will lead to a better clinical application of this spasticity treatment. If the shock waves exert their therapeutic effect by changing the muscle's physical properties, they could be more appropriate for patients with muscle fibrosis on ultrasounds. On the contrary, if the shock waves work on spasticity by indirectly acting on the nervous system's excitability, then a neurophysiology study could be used to preliminary identify the muscle groups with the most significant neurophysiological alterations, which could be the muscles benefitting the most from this treatment.
Trial design This study is a protocol of a phase II clinical trial which will be conducted in two countries (Belgium and Spain) to compare the effectiveness of DN and BTX A in reducing post-stroke spasticity in the plantar flexor muscles. This study is a prospective randomized, controlled, multiple-baseline design with blinded assessors. The study will be registered in ClinicalTrials.gov and will have a length of 19 weeks Trial population Inclusion Criteria: 1) aged 18-75 years old, 2) having lower limb post-stroke spasticity in ankle plantar flexors (MAS scores of 1, 1+ and 2); 3) having had a first stroke; 4) having no more than 12 months of evolution since stroke; 5) having no previous Dry Needling (DN) or Botulinum Toxin type A (BTX A) treatment for spasticity; 6) having ankle PROM ≥ 20° (approx.) when the knee is supported in ~30° flexion; 7) being able to walk independently with or without aids. Exclusion Criteria: 1) medical conditions interfering with data interpretation; 2) any contraindication to receiving BTX A or PS treatment; 3) If taking anti-spasticity medications, participants must be on stable medication for at least 3 months prior to the start of the study and neither the dose nor the medication can be changed during the tria Interventions Participants will be randomly allocated to the group receiving a session of BTX A or to the group receiving Dry Needling once weekly for 12 weeks. Blinded evaluators will assess the effects before, during, after treatment, and at 4-week follow-up. The trial will have regular monitoring visits by an independent external monitor to ensure compliance with the protocol and Good Clinical Practices. Monitors may review source documents to confirm accurate data on CRD. The investigator and institution will guarantee direct access to source documents for monitors and regulatory authorities.
To investigate the impact of algorithms utilizing artificial intelligence technology and computer vision on the recovery of motor functions within the context of rehabilitation practice for patients who have experienced a cerebral stroke.
Stroke is the second most common cause of death and the third most important cause of disability worldwide, with an annual death rate of 5.5 million. Spasticity is a common condition in stroke patients and has a negative impact on daily living activities. BTX-A has been successfully used in the treatment of spasticity in patients with stroke. ESWT is a physical therapy method applying high intensity pressure waves. ESWT has been increasingly used in the management of spasticity as a safe and effective method, but the literature about ESWT in spasticity is heterogeneous and the treatment protocols are not very clear about the number of applications. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of rESWT treatment on ankle plantar flexors spasticity applied after BTX-A injection.
A scientific study is being done to test a special treatment for people who have spasticity or tight muscles. This treatment is called "stereotactic radiosurgery dorsal rhizotomy." It uses very accurate beams of radiation to target certain nerves in the back to help loosen up the muscles. In this study, people are put into two groups by chance: one group gets the real treatment, and the other group gets a "fake" treatment that doesn't do anything. This fake treatment is called a "sham." Doing this helps make sure the study is fair and the results are true. After the people in the study get their treatment, the researchers will watch and see how they do. They will check if their muscles are less stiff and if they have any side effects. By looking at the results from both groups, the researchers can find out if the special treatment really helps people with spasticity. Patients who got the "fake" treatment will be eligible to receive the "real" treatment after 6 months.
This study will monitor patients during the first year following their stroke. Stroke is a very serious condition where there is a sudden interruption of blood flow in the brain. The main aim of the study will be to find out how many of those who experience their first-ever stroke then go on to develop spasticity that would benefit from treatment with medication. Spasticity is a common post-stroke condition that causes stiff or ridged muscles. The results of this study will provide a standard guideline on the best way to monitor the development of post-stroke spasticity.
Stroke is a global health problem, with an incidence in Europe of 147/100,000 people per year. It is estimated that 43% of them present spasticity throughout the first year, causing disability, hindering mobility and functionality, which can generate comorbidity problems, which in turn hinders its improvement over time. Recently, high quality studies have conclude that there is a moderate level of evidence with large effect size in reducing spasticity with dry needling, as well as being cost-effective in stroke patients in both the subacute and chronic phases. However, due to the limitation of manual evaluations of spasticity, and it is necessary to look for measurement alternatives that complement it, such as the analysis of the electromyographic activity and the muscular structure measured with ultrasound. These data could provide objective, useful and complementary information to clinical assessments to be more specific and effective in the treatment of stroke patients. This randomized controlled trial aim to analyse the effect of dry needling in this parameters in patients with stroke and spasticity, as well as correlated with gait variables. Each participant will be randomly assigned to the dry needling group or to the sham dry needling group, where participants receive a total of 4 sessions of ultrasound-guided dry needling or sham ultrasound-guided dry needling in the gastrocnemius medialis over 4 weeks, one per week. Measures of spasticity, electromyographic activity and muscle structure via ultrasound will made at baseline (T0) and immediate after each intervention (T1,T2,T3,T4). Gait variables will be made at baseline and after the last intervention (T0 and T4).
The performance of activities of daily living (ADL) depends to a large extent on the functionality of the upper limb and hand. Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with a significant individual, family and economic impact. After a stroke event, however, a large percentage of affected patients have a deficit of the hand and, six months after the acute event, 65% of patients with a deficit of the hand are unable to use and integrate the affected hand in activities of daily living, significantly reducing its quality. The impairment of strength, grip and general hand function makes it difficult to perform ADLs and affects the independence of functional activities, making the recovery of hand function an extremely challenging field in stroke rehabilitation.
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).
The aim of our study is to objectively and clearly determine the differences between the Spasticity and Decreased Functionality in the Upper Extremity Flexor Group Muscles After Stroke, the Vibration, mBZHT and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Applications in terms of treatment process and effectiveness, and to increase the use of the hands and upper extremities in the daily life activities of the patient.