Combined repetitive facilitative exercise under continuous neuromuscular electrical stimulation and task-oriented training for hemiplegic upper extremity during convalescent phase after stroke: before-and-after feasibility trial.

Introduction: Whereas repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) affects primarily recovery of motor impairment after stroke, task-oriented training (TOT) focuses on facilitating daily use of the affected upper extremity. However, feasibility of combined RFE and TOT has not been reported. We originated "task-oriented RFE," as a new combination therapy for patients with hemiplegic upper extremity after subacute stroke, to examine its feasibility in convalescent rehabilitation wards.

Quantitative measurement of resistance force and subsequent attenuation during passive isokinetic extension of the wrist in patients with mild to moderate spasticity after stroke.

Background: Spasticity is evaluated by measuring the increased resistance to passive movement, primarily by manual methods. Few options are available to measure spasticity in the wrist more objectively. Furthermore, no studies have investigated the force attenuation following increased resistance.

Effects of lower limb segmental muscle vibration on primary motor cortex short-latency intracortical inhibition and spinal excitability in healthy humans.

We examined the effects of lower limb segmental muscle vibration (SMV) on intracortical and spinal excitability in 13 healthy participants (mean age: 34.9 ± 7.8 years, 12 males, 1 female).

Combination therapy with repetitive facilitative exercise program and botulinum toxin type A to improve motor function for the upper-limb spastic paresis in chronic stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Study Design: An open-label, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded trial.

Introduction: Repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) is a movement therapy to recover from hemiparesis after stroke. However, improvement is inhibited by spasticity.

Reaching exercise for chronic paretic upper extremity after stroke using a novel rehabilitation robot with arm-weight support and concomitant electrical stimulation and vibration: before-and-after feasibility trial.

Background: Our group developed a rehabilitation robot to assist with repetitive, active reaching movement of a paretic upper extremity. The robot is equipped with a servo motor-controlled arm-weight support and works in conjunction with neuromuscular electrical stimulation and vibratory stimulation to facilitate agonist-muscle contraction. In this before-and-after pilot study, we assessed the feasibility of applying the robot to improve motor control and function of the hemiparetic upper extremity in patients who suffered chronic stroke.

Effects of concomitant neuromuscular electrical stimulation during repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation before repetitive facilitation exercise on the hemiparetic hand.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and Repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) improves motor impairment after stroke.

Objective: To investigate whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) can facilitate the effects of rTMS and RFE on the function of the hemiparetic hand in stroke patients.

Methods: This randomized double-blinded crossover study divided 20 patients with hemiparesis into two groups and provided treatment for 4 weeks at 5 days/week.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation for diplopia in a patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6: a case report.

Background: In Patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) are often treated by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex and cerebellum. However, few reports have examined effective therapeutic modalities for diplopia in SCA6 patients. In the current case, we applied single-pulse TMS over the motor cortex and cerebellum to improve ataxia, and observed an unexpected improvement of diplopia.

Effects of Repetitive Facilitative Exercise on Spasticity in the Upper Paretic Limb After Subacute Stroke.

Background: Repetitive facilitative exercise is an effective method for recovery of the affected limb in stroke patients. However, its effects on spasticity are unknown. We aimed to determine the effects of repetitive facilitative exercise on spasticity using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) and the F-wave, and to determine the relationship between the changes in spasticity and functional recovery of the hemiplegic upper limb.

Mirror therapy for involuntary movement due to chronic thalamic hemorrhage: a case report.

Background: Some stroke survivors suffer from involuntary movement, which often disturbs upper-limb function, but there are few effective modality options.

Case Report: A 70-year-old man presented with persisting right-upper-limb hemiballism due to left thalamic hemorrhage ten years before. We provided inpatient rehabilitation, including repetitive-facilitative exercise and task-related training, and prescribed clonazepam from day 5 after admission.

Effects of repetitive facilitative exercise with neuromuscular electrical stimulation, vibratory stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation of the hemiplegic hand in chronic stroke patients.

Aim: Repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) is a developed approach to the rehabilitation of hemiplegia. RFE can be integrated with neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), direct application of vibratory stimulation (DAVS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). The aims of the present study were to retrospectively compare the effects of RFE and NMES, DAVS with those of RFE and rTMS, and to determine the maximal effect of the combination of RFE with NMES, DAVS, rTMS and pharmacological treatments in stroke patients.

Anti-spastic effects of footbaths in post-stroke patients: a proof-of-principle study.

Objectives: To investigate whether a footbath inhibits spasticity in the hemiplegic lower limbs of post-stroke patients.

Design: Randomized, controlled study.

Setting: Rehabilitation education and research hospital.

Repetitive facilitative exercise under continuous electrical stimulation for severe arm impairment after sub-acute stroke: a randomized controlled pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) under surface neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia.

Methods: This randomized, controlled, observer-blinded, pilot trial randomized 27 adults with severe arm impairment [Fugl-Meyer Arm scale (FMA) ≤ 20] due to stroke of 3-13 weeks duration into three groups and provided treatment on a 4-week, 40 minutes/day, 5 days/week schedule. The RFE-under-NMES group were given 100-150 repetitions of standardized movements of shoulder, elbow and wrist joints of their affected arm with concurrent low-amplitude NMES for each corresponding musculature.

Effects of repetitive trascranial magnetic stimulation on repetitive facilitation exercises of the hemiplegic hand in chronic stroke patients.

Objective: To investigate whether multiple sessions of 1-Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) facilitates the effect of repetitive facilitation exercises on hemiplegic upper-limb function in chronic stroke patients.

Design: Randomized double-blinded crossover study.

Patients: Eighteen patients with hemiplegia of the upper limb.

Benefits of a repetitive facilitative exercise program for the upper paretic extremity after subacute stroke: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE), a combination of high repetition rate and neurofacilitation, is a recently developed approach to the rehabilitation of stroke-related limb impairment. Preliminary investigations have been encouraging, but a randomized controlled evaluation has yet to be performed.

Objectives: To compare the efficacy of RFE with that of conventional rehabilitation in adults with subacute stroke.

Anti-spastic effects of the direct application of vibratory stimuli to the spastic muscles of hemiplegic limbs in post-stroke patients: a proof-of-principle study.

Objective: To investigate whether the direct application of vibratory stimuli inhibits spasticity in the hemiplegic upper limbs of post-stroke patients.

Design: A randomized controlled study.

Subjects: Thirty-six post-stroke patients.

Acute effects of a single warm-water bath on serum adiponectin and leptin levels in healthy men: a pilot study.

To preliminarily assess the acute effects of a single warm-water bath (WWB) on serum adipokine activity, we measured serum adiponectin, leptin and other metabolic profiles before, immediately after and 30 minutes after WWB in seven healthy male volunteers (mean age, 39.7 ± 6.0 years; mean body mass index, 21.

Effects of thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise in patients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder that is characterized by widespread pain with localized tenderness. We aimed to investigate whether thermal therapy combining sauna therapy and underwater exercise improved pain, symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in FMS patients. Forty-four female FMS patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria received 12-week thermal therapy program comprising sauna therapy once daily for 3 days/week and underwater exercise once daily for 2 days/week.

Fatiguing intermittent lower limb exercise influences corticospinal and corticocortical excitability in the nonexercised upper limb.

Background: It has recently been reported that unilateral fatiguing exercise affects not only the motor area innervating the exercising muscle but also the ipsilateral motor area innervating homologous nonexercised muscle.

Objective: This study was designed to clarify the effects of fatiguing intermittent lower limb exercise on the excitability of the motor cortex representation of nonexercised muscles in the arm.

Methods: Eight subjects performed an intermittent leg press exercise composed of three bouts of 5-minute leg press (T1, T2, and T3) at 50% of maximal voluntary contraction separated by a 2-minute rest.

Effects of intensive repetition of a new facilitation technique on motor functional recovery of the hemiplegic upper limb and hand.

Objective: To study the effects on the hemiplegic upper limb of repetitive facilitation exercises (RFEs) using a novel facilitation technique, in which the patient's intention to move the hemiplegic upper limb or finger was followed by realization of the movement using multiple sensory stimulations.

Methods: Twenty-three stroke patients were enrolled in a cross-over study in which 2-week RFE sessions (100 repetitions each of five-to-eight types of facilitation exercise per day) were alternated with 2-week conventional rehabilitation (CR) sessions, for a total of four sessions. Treatments were begun with the 2-week RFE session in one group and the 2-week CR session in the second group.

Addition of an anabolic steroid to strength training promotes muscle strength in the nonparetic lower limb of poststroke hemiplegia patients.

In this prospective observer-blinded open-label nonrandomized controlled trial, 25 inpatients with hemiplegia 1-8 months after stroke were assigned to an anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS; n = 14) or a control (n = 11) group: the former received 100 mg metenolone enanthate by intramuscular injection once a week for 6 weeks along with rehabilitation therapy including muscle strength training of the nonparetic lower limb, which consisted of 100 repetitions of isokinetic reciprocal knee extension/flexion (60 degrees /s) on a dynamometer once a day for 5 days a week over 6 weeks, and the latter received rehabilitation therapy alone. The maximal peak torque of the nonparetic lower limb, including the isokinetic (60 degrees /s, 120 degrees /s, and 180 degrees /s), isotonic, and isometric muscle strength of knee extension/flexion, measured every 2 weeks, was compared with the baseline values. Significant increases in peak torque were seen at 2 weeks in 9 of the 10 conditions and at 6 weeks in 8 of the 10 conditions tested for the AAS group but in only 1 and 5 conditions for the control group, respectively.

Examining procedural consolidation with visuomotor learning in the lower limb.

To investigate the effects of interference tasks in the early stages of motor learning, we used a computerized motor skill analyzer (CMSA) for the lower limb that evaluates the accuracy and speed of movements in tracking tasks. Forty-five healthy subjects were randomly divided into three groups: a control group without an interference task, a mirror image interference group, and a point symmetry interference group. The practice and measurement of motor-learning trials were carried out as follows: (1) 10 practice trials followed by 10 measurement trials in the morning of the first day.

Stroke patient with mirror movement of the affected hand due to an ipsilateral motor pathway confirmed by transcranial magnetic stimulation: a case report.

A stroke patient with right hemiplegia and mirror movement underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP) testing. The motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) of both abductor pollicis brevis muscles after stimulating the unaffected right hemisphere showed similar latencies, and were potentially produced by corticospinal tracts from the same motor cortex. N(20) responses of SEPs were recorded at C(4)' after contralateral stimulation of the unaffected left median nerve, but not stimulation of the affected right median nerve.

Beneficial effects of footbaths in controlling spasticity after stroke.

Footbaths are considered to provide beneficial thermal therapy for post-stroke patients with spasticity, but their anti-spastic effects have not been investigated comprehensively. The present study aimed to evaluate alterations in motor-neuron excitability using F-wave parameters in post-stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia. Subjects' legs below the knee joint were immersed in water at 41 degrees C and F-wave recordings were made over the abductor hallucis muscle before, immediately after, and 30 min after thermal treatment.

Anti-spastic effects of the direct application of vibratory stimuli to the spastic muscles of hemiplegic limbs in post-stroke patients.

Objective: To investigate whether the direct application of vibratory stimuli inhibits spasticity and improves motor function in the hemiplegic upper limbs of post-stroke patients.

Design: Prospective pilot study.

Setting: University hospital rehabilitation centre.