View clinical trials related to Upper Extremity Paresis.
Filter by:The objective of this research is to evaluate the benefits of an experimental therapy for motor recovery of the arm after a stroke, which includes the application of a functional electrical stimulation therapy coupled to P-300 based Brain-Computer Interface system (BCI-FES). For this purpose, the investigators will compare two groups, the first one will receive only conventional physical and occupational therapy, while the second one will receive conventional therapy together with BCI-FES therapy. The control and experimental group will receive 20 sessions of conventional physical and occupational therapy at a rate of five sessions per week for 4 weeks (control group double dose of conventional therapy), and the experimental group will receive 20 sessions of rehabilitation with the BCI-FES system at a rate of five sessions per week for 4 weeks. Broadly speaking, the BCI is in charge of determining the movement selected by the individual and assist the hand movement while performing functional tasks. The movements included in the sessions will be hand opening, grasping, pinching, pronation and supination, which are combined to facilitate the execution of functional movements that are performed together with the manipulation of daily used utensils. The visual, sensory and motor feedback provided by the BCI-FES system that enables the individual to replicate the afferent-efferent motor circuit, contributes to the activation and recruitment of neural pathways, which is associated with motor recovery. It should be noted that this BCI-FES system has already been tested previously in a study with healthy individuals, and in a non-randomized pilot study that used this therapy for upper limb motor function recovery in chronic post-stroke patients. To evaluate the results, a series of tests will be applied to assess the motor recovery, including the FMA-UE: Fugl-Meyer Assessment Scale of Upper Extremity, ARAT: Action Research Arm Test, MAS: Modified Ashworth Scale, FIM: Functional Independence Measure and MAL: Motor Activity Log. Likewise, resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies will be performed to evaluate the degree of functional connectivity between various brain regions of interest related to the planning and execution of movements. This will determine whether the experimental therapy with BCI-FES favors arm and hand recovery in surviving stroke individuals.
The aim of this comparative and reliability study is to highlight a deficit in the use of vibrotactile sensory feedback (haptic effect) in the planning and execution of fine manual dexterity movements after stroke. The investigators will include 3 groups of subjects, 1 group of young healthy subjects, 1 of older subjects matched in age and sex to the group of chronic stroke patients. Participants will take part in clinical tests of fine motor skills and sensitivity and will use a device to assess the key components of manual dexterity, to which vibrotactile sensors will be added. If they so wish, participants will be able to take part in a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study to assess the facilitation of cortical excitability due to the haptic effect.
This clinical trial aims to compare the effectiveness of Robotic versus conventional mirror therapy among post-stroke patients. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Effectiveness of both interventions in hand motoric recovery across time - Effectiveness of both interventions in functional outcomes across time - Clinical outcome difference between both interventions Participants will be allocated into either a robotic group as the main intervention or a mirror therapy group as the active comparator. A serial follow-up will be conducted to assess the selected clinical outcome and differences in outcome
The primary objective of this clinical study is to assess the comparative efficacy of individualized intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) in contrast to standard iTBS for individuals post-stroke experiencing upper limb impairment. The key inquiries addressed in this study encompass: Enhancement of Upper Limb Function: The primary investigation seeks to determine whether individualized iTBS yields superior improvements in upper limb functionality compared to standard iTBS. Long-Term Effects: This study endeavors to explore the sustained effects of both individualized and standard iTBS on upper limb function over an extended duration. Neural Mechanisms Investigation: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be employed to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of iTBS on the enhancement of upper limb function. Post-stroke individuals with upper limb impairment will undergo pre-treatment assessments, including motor function evaluations and fNIRS tests. Subsequently, they will be randomized into three groups: individualized iTBS, standard iTBS, and sham stimulation. Participants will undergo post-treatment assessments and follow-up evaluations. The research team aims to discern disparities in the efficacy of different iTBS modalities. The central hypothesis posits that individualized iTBS will demonstrate superior efficacy in enhancing post-stroke upper limb function, with sustained effects persisting for a minimum of one month.
Due to lack of evidence about the difference between the effects of Vibration Therapy and Mirror Therapy on stroke patients, this study aims at comparing the two, in the context of hemiparesis, to help patients improve hand motor functioning and gain occupational recovery. This study applies a two-arm parallel group randomized trial with 36 participants aged 30-65, who had sub-acute stroke 6 months before the study recruitment, and upper limb function deficits of Brunnstrom stage ≥ 3, the spasticity of affected upper extremity score ≤ 2 on the modified Ashworth scale. The participants are outpatients from Jazan Region, Saudi Arabia, and the intervention lasts 4 weeks, with sessions of 35-45 minutes, 3 days per week including the standard conventional therapy. The outcome measurements include Fugl-Meyer Assessment for motor assessment, A Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT) objective standardized assessment for activities of daily living (ADLs) and a 30-item Arabic and validated version of Disability of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) for the upper extremities.
The Amadeo® Manual Robotic System (Tyromotion GmbH, Graz, Austria) is designed for rehabilitative treatment of the hand and fingers providing robot-assisted exercise for the finger flexors and extensors. This system has a controlled position, active, active-assisted and passive exercise mode, it also allows isometric exercises with visual feedback provided during computerized games that emphasize flexion and extension. Another of the functions that this device presents and that differentiates it from other handheld robotic systems is its vibration function. Through sensors that are placed on the fingertips, providing a vibratory proprioceptive stimulus of different frequencies. Currently, there are no published trials on the efficacy of the vibration of this device and its consequent improvement in the sensitivity and functionality of patients with hemiparesis after stroke. Investigations have been conducted in patients with peripheral lesions and in the healthy population. A preliminary study with monkeys demonstrated that the frequency of the vibration presents better results when the muscle stretch receptors are driven by a high frequency vibration, activating the neurons corresponding to the motor cortex and in the 3rd primary sensory area. More recent studies have shown the efficacy of focal vibratory stimulation applied to the wrist and forearm muscles, specifically the application to the tendon of the stimulated muscle. Regarding the most appropriate form of stimulation, the most important determining factors to highlight are the frequency of application, the duration and intensity and the time of application. The mechanism of action of local muscle vibration is to stimulate various receptors. Meissner corpuscles respond best around 40 Hz, while Vater-Pacini corpuscles around 100 Hz. Together, they are also known as rapidly adapting cutaneous receptors. In contrast, Merkel-Ranvier cells and Ruffini corpuscles are called slow-adapting and classically described as sensitive to sustained pressure. That is why authors of different studies have focused on high frequency vibration of 300 Hz, for 30 minutes. 3 times per week. The duration of vibratory stimulation, different studies show the effects of vibration and changes in the cortex after performing the treatment constantly, for about ten days, intensively three to four days a week, observing long-term changes in terms on cortical excitability.
Deficits in upper limb (UL) functional recovery persist in a large proportion of stroke survivors. Understanding how to obtain the best possible UL recovery is a major scientific, clinical and patient priority. We propose that UL motor recovery may be improved by training that focuses on remediating an individual's specific motor impairment. Our approach is based on evidence that deficits in the control of muscle activation thresholds (spatial thresholds) of the elbow in stroke underlie impairments such as disordered movement and spasticity. Our novel training program focuses on improving the individual's active elbow control range using error augmentation (EA) feedback. Since training intensity and lesion load are key factors in motor recovery that lack guidelines, we will also investigate effects of exercise dose and corticospinal tract (CST) injury on UL recovery. In this multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group, randomized controlled trial (RCT), patients with stroke will participate in an individualized intensive technology-assisted reaching training program, based on error augmentation (EA), in order to improve voluntary elbow function. They will practice robot-assisted reaching in a virtual reality (VR) game setting. We will identify if intensive training with feedback aimed at expanding the range of spatial threshold (ST) control at the elbow (experimental group) is better than intensive training with general feedback about task success (control group). We will also determine the patient-specific optimal therapy dose by comparing kinematic and clinical outcomes after 3, 6 and 9 weeks of intensive training, and again at 4 weeks after training to determine carry-over effects. We will quantify the severity of the participant's motor deficit, as the amount of cortico spinal tract (CST) injury due to the stroke (%CST injury) and relate training gains to their %CST injury. Results of this pragmatic trial will provide essential information for optimizing individualized post-stroke training programs and help determine optimal patient-specific training dosing to improve motor recovery in people with different levels of stroke severity. This type of research involving personalized, impairment-based feedback and dose-effective training has the potential to significantly improve rehabilitation for a greater number of post-stroke individuals and improve the health and quality of life of Canadians.