ADL Outcome of Stroke by Stroke Type and Time from Onset to Admission to a Comprehensive Inpatient Rehabilitation Ward.

Objective: To examine the effect of onset to admission interval (OAI) and stroke type on activities of daily living (ADL) outcome.

Materials And Methods: Stroke patients (n=3112) admitted to and discharged from comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation wards at Nanakuri Memorial Hospital were classified into 8 OAI segments and by stroke type [intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and cerebral infarction (CI)]. Motor subscore of the Functional Independence Measure (FIM-M) on admission, FIM-M at discharge, FIM-M gain, length of stay (LOS), and FIM-M efficiency in the ICH and CI group matched by OAI segment were compared using the Wilcoxon test.

Effect of oral baclofen on spasticity poststroke: responders versus non-responders.

Objective To assess quantitatively the efficacy of oral baclofen for spasticity poststroke. Methods The participants were 29 persons poststroke with increased resistance to passive ankle dorsiflexion and ankle clonus on clinical assessment. Baclofen was administered at 20 mg/day for 1 week.

Effect of muscle tone on ankle kinetics during gait with ankle-foot orthoses in persons with stroke.

Background Individuals exhibiting hemiplegia and increased ankle plantar flexors muscle tone following stroke are frequently prescribed an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) to regain functional ambulation. The effect of muscle tone on ankle kinetics when walking with an AFO remains unknown. Objectives To investigate the effect of plantar flexion (PF) muscle tone on ankle plantar flexion torque during walking with an ankle-foot orthosis Methods The study included 80 participants with first-ever stroke whose manual muscle testing (MMT) of ankle DF 0-4, and 10 healthy subjects.

Hemorrhagic Transformation in Patients with Cerebral Infarction Referred to a Rehabilitation Hospital.

Purpose: The aim of our study was to investigate the presenting conditions of patients with hemorrhagic transformation (HT), the frequency of HT and its treatments at a rehabilitation hospital.

Subjects And Methods: 165 patients with cerebral infarctions transferred to our rehabilitation hospital during the study period were enrolled. HT was diagnosed by two stroke specialists using computed tomography (CT) at the time of transfer to our rehabilitation hospital and other imaging data from previous consultations.

Measurement of Resistive Plantar Flexion Torque of the Ankle during Passive Stretch in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Poststroke Hemiplegia.

Background: Quantification of increased muscle tone for patients with spasticity has been performed to date using various devices to replace the manual scales, such as the modified Ashworth scale or the Tardieu scale. We developed a device that could measure resistive plantar flexion (PF) torque of the ankle during passive dorsiflexion (DF) as an indicator of muscle tone of ankle plantar flexors.

Methods: The primary objective was to explore the test-retest intrarater reliability of a custom-built device.

Potential factors, including activities of daily living, influencing home discharge for patients with putaminal haemorrhage.

Background: Convalescent rehabilitation wards assist stroke patients in acquiring skills for activities of daily living to increase the likelihood of home discharge. However, an improvement in activities of daily living does not necessarily imply that patients are discharged home. We investigated the characteristics of patients with putaminal haemorrhage who are discharged home following convalescence in rehabilitation wards.

Dysphagia Following Putaminal Hemorrhage at a Rehabilitation Hospital.

Background: Dysphagia occurs frequently during the acute phase of cerebral hemorrhage; however, there are few reports of dysphagia associated with cerebral hemorrhage in the subacute and chronic phase. We focused on putaminal hemorrhage at a rehabilitation hospital and evaluated the relationships between the frequencies of dysphagia, focus, and hematoma volume and type.

Methods: A hundred patients with putaminal hemorrhage referred to our rehabilitation hospital were evaluated.

Rehabilitation for a Patient with Hemiplegia, Ataxia, and Cognitive Dysfunction Caused by Pontine Hemorrhage.

Patients with pontine hemorrhage usually experience severe disturbances of consciousness, pupillary abnormalities, quadriparesis, and respiratory failure. However, little is known regarding cognitive dysfunction in patients with pontine hemorrhage. We report the case of a rehabilitation patient presenting with hemiplegia, ataxia, and cognitive dysfunction caused by a pontine hemorrhage.

Development of an ankle torque measurement device for measuring ankle torque during walking.

[Purpose] To develop a device for measuring the torque of an ankle joint during walking in order to quantify the characteristics of spasticity of the ankle and to verify the functionality of the device by testing it on the gait of an able-bodied individual and an equinovarus patient. [Subjects and Methods] An adjustable posterior strut (APS) ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) was used in which two torque sensors were mounted on the aluminum strut for measuring the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions. Two switches were also mounted at the heel and toe in order to detect the gait phase.

A comparison of knee-ankle-foot orthoses with either metal struts or an adjustable posterior strut in hemiplegic stroke patients.

Background: We investigated differences in factors affecting judgments regarding the creation of new adjustable posterior strut knee-ankle-foot orthoses (APS-KAFO) and knee-ankle-foot orthoses with metal struts (traditional KAFO) for hemiplegic stroke patients for whom KAFO were created in rehabilitation wards.

Methods: Subjects were 50 patients with hemiplegia due to new-onset stroke (cerebral infarction: n = 25, cerebral hemorrhage: n = 25) who were prescribed KAFO. Patient ages ranged from 36 to 90 years, and the mean duration from stroke onset to hospitalization was 28.