Ground reaction force patterns in stroke patients with various degrees of motor recovery determined by plantar dynamic analysis.

Background: To study ground reaction force (GRF) patterns in stroke patients with various degrees of motor recovery, using plantar dynamic analysis.

Methods: Forty-three people with hemiplegic stroke and 20 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Motor impairment (motor recovery and muscle tone) and plantar dynamic data (GRF patterns, peak pressure, and walking speeds) were analyzed.

Enhancement of operational efficiencies for people with high cervical spinal cord injuries using a flexible integrated pointing device apparatus.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a universal integrated pointing device apparatus (IPDA), which can integrate numerous commercial pointing devices and can be controlled by various combinations of available movements, for people with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) who cannot operate standard computer pointing devices.

Design: An exploratory quasi-experimental design. All subjects were required to perform specific mouse-operating (continuous-clicking, target-acquisition, drag-and-drop) tasks.

Critical score of Glasgow Coma Scale for pediatric traumatic brain injury.

The aim of this study is to determine the predictive critical value of the Glasgow Coma Scale for use as a determinant of outcome for children with traumatic brain injuries. A total of 309 children, aged 2-10 years, were enrolled in this study. Each subject underwent the following assessments: Glasgow Coma Scale; clinical data; brain computed tomography; and Glasgow Outcome Scale assessments.

Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on cough capacity and pulmonary function in patients with acute cervical cord injury.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on cough capacity and prevention of pulmonary complication in patients with acute cervical cord injury.

Design: A randomized controlled trial.

Subjects: Twenty-six tetraplegic patients with cervical spinal cord injury, 13 in the NMES therapy group and 13 in the control group.

The relationship of social function with motor and speech functions in children with autism.

Background: Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder, characterized by pervasive impairment in several areas of development, including social interactions and communication skills. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development profiles and determine the relationship of social function with motor and speech functions in children with autism.

Methods: We collected the medical records of 32 children with autism.

Effects of visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training on hemiplegic stroke patients.

Objective: To assess the balance function of hemiplegic stroke patients and to investigate whether visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training following acute stroke can decrease falls among patients with hemiplegic stroke.

Design: A prospective study, using a Balance Master.

Setting: Hospital-based rehabilitation units.

Linguistic and gait disturbance in a child with Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome: left temporal and parietal lobe hypoplasia.

Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by retinitis pigmentosa, obesity, polydactyly, hypogenitalism, mental retardation, and renal abnormalities. We report the linguistic and gait disorders in a child with Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome associated with left temporal and parietal hypoplasia as determined by magnetic resonance imaging. Our patient was mildly mentally retarded, scoring better on the performance subtest than on the verbal subtest.

Leg muscle activation patterns of sit-to-stand movement in stroke patients.

Objective: To describe the characteristics of leg muscle activation patterns in hemiplegic stroke patients during the movement of rising from a chair and to determine the differences of leg muscle activation patterns between stroke fallers and nonfallers.

Design: Subjects stood up from an armless chair at a comfortable, self-paced speed. Leg muscle activation time and patterns during the sit-to-stand movement were analyzed using multichannel surface electromyography and a force platform.

Gait performance with compensatory adaptations in stroke patients with different degrees of motor recovery.

Objective: Gait patterns vary among stroke patients. This study attempted to discover gait performance with compensatory adaptations in stroke patients with different degrees of motor recovery.

Design: Data were gathered from 35 stroke patients and 15 healthy subjects.

Correlation of polyelectromyographic patterns and clinical motor manifestations in children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: We investigated the correlation between movement patterns, measured by polyelectromyography (PEMG), and clinical motor manifestations in children with cerebral palsy.

Design: Subjects included 53 children with spastic cerebral palsy (diplegic [n = 43] and quadriplegic [n = 10] groups) and 18 normal children. All children underwent PEMG assessments, recorded from pairs of flexor/extensor muscles during voluntary movement.

Effects of balance training on hemiplegic stroke patients.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the delayed effects of balance training program on hemiplegic stroke patients.

Methods: A total of 41 ambulatory hemiplegic stroke patients were recruited into this study and randomly assigned into two groups, the control group and trained group. Visual feedback balance training with the SMART Balance Master was used in the trained group.