Task-specific training with trunk restraint on arm recovery in stroke: randomized control trial.

Background And Purpose: Task-specific training improves functional outcomes after stroke. However, gains may be accompanied by increases in movements compensating for motor impairments. We hypothesized that restriction of compensatory trunk movements may encourage recovery of premorbid movement patterns leading to better functional outcomes.

Development and validation of two new sensory tests of the hand for patients with stroke.

Objective: To establish validity and reliability of two new sensory tests evaluating moving (MTP) and sustained (STP) touch-pressure and their relationship to hand function for patients with stroke. The STP had four components in which a light or heavy ball was applied passively or held actively.

Participants: Twenty-eight participants with hemiparesis (1-109 months) from rehabilitation hospitals or outpatient programmes.

Effect of maintained stretch on the range of motion of the human ankle joint.

The effectiveness of maintained stretch in expanding the range of motion of the human ankle joint was assessed in a population of normal adults. Controlled movements were imposed upon the ankle, and triceps surae and tibialis anterior electromyograms were monitored to ensure that only passive joint properties generated ankle torque. We found that a majority of subjects (7 of 12) showed evidence of muscle activity sufficient to distort a subjective assessment of changes in range of motion.

The assessment and treatment of patients who have sensory loss following cortical lesions.

The assessment of tactile and proprioceptive sensory function in patients with severe sensory deficits resulting from cortical lesions is reviewed. The importance of using age-appropriate normative data to interpret the scores on these tests is discussed in the context of the frequency of ipsilateral disturbances in somesthetic sensation following unilateral cerebral lesions. Tactile and proprioceptive sensory deficits not only affect the processing of sensory information but also result in impairments in manual control.

Evaluating sustained touch-pressure in severe sensory deficits: meeting an unanswered need.

Sensation is critical to the functional abilities of the hand. Although evaluation techniques are available to measure a patient's ability to appreciate moving touch (MT), no test is available to assess appreciation of sustained touch-pressure (STP). A new device, designed to apply constant stimuli of known intensity, was developed and used to evaluate STP appreciation in an experimental and a control group.