Aiming Movement After Stroke: Do Time-Since-Injury and Impairment Severity Influence Ipsilateral Performance?

In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated post-stroke ipsilesional (less affected) upper limb aiming movement in individuals whose strokes were either 2-5 months ( = 16) or >6 months ( = 17) prior to our testing; we also compared both stroke groups to a control group of healthy individuals ( = 14). We evaluated the participants' level of movement impairment in the contralateral upper limb from the site of the cerebrovascular lesion as an indicator of the severity of the participants' impairment. Participants were asked to move a stylus on a tablet with their ipsilesional upper limb according to a visual stimulus seen on a monitor.

Measurement properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Lower-Extremity Motor Activity Log for chronic hemiparetic poststroke patients.

Background: Stroke is among the three leading causes of disability around the world, and it results in immediate difficulty in mobility and gait. There is a lack of instruments to evaluate what daily life is like for these individuals using their lower limbs in real-life environments (outside of the clinical environment).

Objective: To perform the translation and cultural adaptation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Lower-Extremity Motor Activity Log (LE-MAL) and test its measurement properties in chronic poststroke individuals.

Content validity of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core set for knee dysfunction: a Delphi study.

Objective: To assess the content validity of the preliminary core set for knee dysfunction based on the opinion of experts.

Design: A panel of 180 experts in knee disorders or on the use of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health for musculoskeletal conditions was invited for this Delphi study. The experts gave their opinion on whether to include the categories of the preliminary core set for knee dysfunction in a more comprehensive core set, using a six-item Likert scale.

Planning and Executing Aiming Movements in Middle Childhood.

Harmonious voluntary movements require efficiency in their planning and execution. Throughout middle childhood structural changes in the central nervous and musculoskeletal systems influence these processes and resultant motor behavior. In this study, we evaluated the characteristics of the motor planning and executing of aiming movements directed at targets located in different positions in space in children aged 7, 9, and 11 years.

Selecting assessment tools to characterize upper limb function of children with cerebral palsy: A mega-review of systematic reviews.

Aim: A mega-review of published systematic reviews without restriction on year of publication was implemented to summarize available assessment tools of upper limb (UL) function in children with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

Method: A multi-prong search strategy was used to identify 12 systematic literature reviews for inclusion in the mega-review. Included reviews were coded by descriptive analyses, which included methodological and reported measurement property description.

Functional Outcomes Associated With Independence in Walking Among People With Hereditary Ataxias: An Exploratory Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: This study aimed to identify functional outcomes related to independence in walking among people affected by hereditary ataxias.

Methods: Sixty participants were selected by convenience in a list provided by an organization of people with ataxia. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire.

Ipsilesional arm reaching movements are not affected by the postural configuration adopted by individuals with stroke.

Individuals with stroke present several impairments in the ipsilesional arm reaching movements that can limit the execution of daily living activities. These impairments depend on the side of the brain lesion. The present study aimed to compare the arm reaching movements performed in sitting and standing positions and to examine whether the effects of the adopted posture configuration depend on the side of the brain lesion.

Neuroplasticity induced by the retention period of a complex motor skill learning in rats.

Learning complex motor skills is an essential process in our daily lives. Moreover, it is an important aspect for the development of therapeutic strategies that refer to rehabilitation processes since motor skills previously acquired can be transferred to similar tasks (motor skill transfer) or recovered without further practice after longer delays (motor skill retention). Different acrobatic exercise training (AE) protocols induce plastic changes in areas involved in motor control and improvement in motor performance.

Development of a Comprehensive Outcome Measure for Motor Coordination, Step 2: Reliability and Construct Validity in Chronic Stroke Patients.

Background: A comprehensive scale assessing motor coordination of multiple body segments was developed using a 3-phase content validation process. The Comprehensive Coordination Scale (CCS) evaluates motor coordination defined as the ability to produce context-dependent movements of multiple effectors in both spatial and temporal domains. The scale assesses motor coordination in individuals with neurological injuries at 2 levels of movement description: the motor performance level describes end point movements (ie, hand, foot), and the movement quality level describes limb joints/trunk movements contributing to end point movement.

Development of a Core Set for Knee Dysfunction Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: To develop an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health core set for patients with knee dysfunction.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: The study was conducted at all levels of care (general community, primary care units, rehabilitation clinics/centers, hospital).

An ergonomics educational training program to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders to novice and experienced workers in the poultry processing industry: A quasi-experimental study.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted in a poultry processing industry with the aim of assessing the benefits of ergonomics educational training for novice and experienced workers in preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders. Sociodemographic and occupational questionnaires were used to evaluate age, marital status, education, time in job, musculoskeletal complaints and pain intensity, perceived effort, biomechanical exposure, and perception of ease or difficulty in adoption of ergonomics educational training. Musculoskeletal complaints in the neck, back, and wrists were reduced with training, but pain intensity was reduced only in the wrist region.

Performance of discrete, reciprocal, and cyclic movements of the ipsilesional upper limb in individuals after stroke.

Aiming movements of the upper limbs can be classified either as discrete, or reciprocal, or cyclic. The control of these movements after a stroke can be affected. The aim of this experimental, cross-sectional study was to characterize the performance of these movements after the right and left hemisphere chronic stroke.

Differences in Rehabilitation Needs after Stroke: A Similarity Analysis on the ICF Core Set for Stroke.

: Successful rehabilitation is associated with physical, psychological, environmental, social, and personal factors based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. The influence of age has been suggested as crucial personal factors that may affect rehabilitation needs in post-stroke survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate the qualifiers of the ICF core set for stroke to detect differences in rehabilitation needs and goals between older (O, >65 years old) and younger (Y, ≤65 years old,) post-stroke individuals.

Measurement properties of the Reaching Performance Scale for Stroke.

Aim: Reaching Performance Scale for Stroke (RPSS) evaluates the upper limb reach-to-grasp movement quality and compensatory movements. The objective of the study was to test the reliability, construct validity, and interpretability of the Brazilian-Portuguese RPSS.

Methods: Fifty-one individuals (mean age 62 ± 10.

Combined effects of the light touch and cognitive task affect the components of postural sway.

The light touch (LT) of the fingertip on a rigid surface and the performance of a cognitive task (CT) affect the postural control. The current study examined the mechanisms involved in the control of postural sway (i.e.

Influence of target uncertainty on reaching movements while standing in stroke.

Stroke individuals frequently have balance problems and impaired arm movements that affect their daily activities. We investigated the influence of target uncertainty and the side of the brain lesion on the performance of arm movements and postural adjustments during reaching in a standing position by stroke individuals. Participants stood on force plates and reached a target displayed on the center of a monitor screen under conditions differentiated by the prior knowledge of the target location at the beginning of the movement.

Effect of force magnitude of touch on the components of postural sway.

Background: Lightly touching the tip of the index finger on an external surface reduces the postural sway during upright standing due to the additional somatosensory information provided by the touch to the postural control system. But when the individuals apply more force, it provides more mechanical support. However, because most of the studies investigated only two levels of force, whether the control mechanisms of postural sway are affected by the different force levels was unknown.

From One to Two: Can Visual Feedback Improve the Light Touch Effects on Postural Sway?

The postural control is improved by implicit somatosensory information from lightly touching a rigid bar or explicit visual information about the postural sway. Whether these two additional sources provided at the same time further reduce the postural sway is still unknown. Participants stood on a force plate as quiet as possible lightly touching the bar while received or not visual feedback of the center of pressure position on a monitor screen.

Target height affects the symmetry of the postural adjustments after (but not prior) the onset of reaching movements in upright standing.

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of target height on the symmetry and amplitude of the postural adjustments assessed by the displacements of the center of pressure (COP) before and during the unilateral, arm movements in the upright position. Thirteen young, right-handed adults stood with each foot on one force platform and reached a target placed at one of three heights displayed on a monitor screen. The performance of the right arm movements (movement time and radial error), amplitude of the COP displacements of each lower limb and the percentage of body weight loading on the right lower limb before and during the reaching movements were compared across target heights conditions.

Individuals' perception about upper limb influence on participation after stroke: an observational study.

Background Stroke can compromise upper limb performance and influence the individual's participation in real life situations. Objective To investigate how components of body function and activity affect the individuals' self-perception of their participation after stroke. Methods In this observational study, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was used as model.

Functional Capacity and Motor Performance of Upper Limbs in Individuals with Cerebellar Disorders: A Pilot Study.

In simple daily activities carried out by the upper limbs, the cerebellum is responsible for the adaptations required for the accurate movement based on previous experiences and external references. This paper aims to characterize the performance of the upper limbs after a cerebellar disease. We evaluated the digital and handgrip strength, dexterity, and function of the upper limbs.

Ipsilesional Arm Aiming Movements After Stroke: Influence of the Degree of Contralesional Impairment.

The authors examined the effects of the degree of impairment of the contralesional upper limb and the side of the hemispheric damage on ipsilesional upper limb performance in chronic stroke individuals. Right- and left-side stroke resulting in mild-to-severe impairment and healthy participants took part in simple and choice reaction time tasks involving aiming movements. The stroke individuals performed the aiming movements with the ipsilesional upper limb using a digitizing tablet to ipsi- or contralateral targets presented in a monitor.

Two-Man Bobsled Push Start Analysis.

The importance of push start times on bobsled performance was evidenced by some studies, but at this moment there is no article to the authors' knowledge that describes the bobsled push start. Thus, the objectives of this study were to describe the two-man bobsled push start, analyze the differences between teams, and estimate the most important variable analyzed. We hypothesized that the pilot and brakeman athletes' movement patterns during a bobsled pushing start can be described.