Eye movements during measurements of visual vertical in the post-stroke subacute phase.

The subjective visual vertical (VV), the visually estimated direction of gravity, is essential for assessing vestibular function and visuospatial cognition. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying altered VV perception in stroke participants with unilateral spatial neglect (USN), specifically by examining their eye movement patterns during VV judgment tasks. Participants with USN demonstrated limited eye movement scanning along a rotating bar, often fixating on prominent ends, such as the top or bottom.

Effects of ankle joint degree of freedom of knee-ankle-foot orthoses on loading patterns and triceps surae muscle activity on the paretic side in individuals with subacute severe hemiplegia: a retrospective study.

Background: Individuals with subacute severe hemiplegia often undergo alternate gait training to overcome challenges in achieving walking independence. However, the ankle joint setting in a knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) depends on trunk function or paralysis stage for alternate gait training with a KAFO. The optimal degree of ankle joint freedom in a KAFO and the specific ankle joint conditions for effective rehabilitation remain unclear.

Diverse Plantarflexor Module Characteristics Influence Immediate Effects of Plastic Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Gait Performance in Patients With Stroke: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: To investigate the immediate effects of plastic ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) on locomotor performance in patients with stroke and determine how such effects might undergo alteration when distinct plantarflexor (PF) module subtypes are considered.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Two university hospitals.

Use of the reliable change index to evaluate the effect of a multicomponent exercise program on physical functions.

Aims: Using the reliable change index (RCI), we aimed to examine the effect of a multicomponent exercise program on the individual level.

Methods: Overall, 270 adults (mean age, 78 years) completed a multicomponent physical exercise program (strength, aerobic, gait, and balance) for 40 min, 1-2 times per week, continued up to 1 year at a daycare center. Effectiveness was assessed using grip, ankle, knee, and hip strength; Timed Up & Go (TUG); Berg Balance Scale (BBS); gait speed; and 6-min walking distance.

How to Decide the Number of Gait Cycles in Different Low-Pass Filters to Extract Motor Modules by Non-negative Matrix Factorization During Walking in Chronic Post-stroke Patients.

The motor modules during human walking are identified using non-negative matrix factorization (NNMF) from surface electromyography (EMG) signals. The extraction of motor modules in healthy participants is affected by the change in pre-processing of EMG signals, such as low-pass filters (LPFs); however, the effect of different pre-processing methods, such as the number of necessary gait cycles (GCs) in post-stroke patients with varying steps, remains unknown. We aimed to specify that the number of GCs influenced the motor modules extracted in the consideration of LPFs in post-stroke patients.

A Cross-Sectional Study on the Association between Body Mass Index and Frailty According to Sex in Elderly Patients with Disabilities from an Elderly Day-Care Center.

The association between body mass index (BMI) and frailty in elderly patients with disabilities is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between BMI and frailty in the elderly with disabilities according to sex. This cross-sectional study included 280 elderly patients with disabilities from an elderly daycare center.

Relationship between vertical ground reaction force and muscle strength while climbing stairs after total hip arthroplasty.

Background: Little is known about the relationship between vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) and muscle strength while climbing stairs after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods: We investigated the relationship between muscle strength and vGRF during stair climbing in 21 women with THA. Differences in the time required to climb stairs and side-to-side differences in muscle strength and vGRF during climbing were examined at 6 and 12 months.

Immediate Effect on Ground Reaction Forces Induced by Step Training Based on Discrete Skill during Gait in Poststroke Individuals: A Pilot Study.

Methods: Twenty-two community-dwelling patients with chronic hemiplegia participated in this study. Eight participants performed only discrete-skill step training during the loading response phase, focusing on paretic hip extension movement (LR group). Another eight performed only discrete-skill step training during the preswing phase, focusing on paretic swing movement (PSw group).

Novel characterization of subjective visual vertical in patients with unilateral spatial neglect.

Visual vertical (VV), visually perceived direction of gravity, is widely measured to assess the vestibular function and visuospatial cognition. VV has been assessed by comparing orientation and variability of measured values separately between subject groups. However, changes in orientation and variability often differ in patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN).

Descending neural drives to ankle muscles during gait and their relationships with clinical functions in patients after stroke.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the descending neural drive to ankle muscles during gait in stroke patients using a coherence analysis of surface electromyographic (EMG) recordings and the relationships of the drive with clinical functions.

Methods: EMG recordings of the paired tibialis anterior (TA), medial and lateral gastrocnemius (MG and LG), and TA-LG muscles were used to calculate intramuscular, synergistic, and agonist-antagonist muscle coherence, respectively, in 11 stroke patients and 9 healthy controls. Paretic motor function, sensory function, spasticity, ankle muscle strength, and gait performance were evaluated.