Abstract here:
http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/9/1/26/abstract
Background
Hemianaesthesia patients usually exhibit awkward and inefficient finger movements
of the affected hands. Conventionally, most interventions emphasize the improvement
of motor deficits, but rarely address sensory capability and sensorimotor control
following stroke. Thus it is critical for stroke patients with sensory problems to
incorporate appropriate strategies for dealing with sensory impairment, into traditional
hand function rehabilitation programs. In this study, we used a custom-designed computerized
evaluation and reeducation biofeedback (CERB) prototype to analyze hand grasp performances,
and monitor the training effects on hand coordination for stroke patients with sensory
disturbance and without motor deficiency.
Methods
The CERB prototype was constructed to detect momentary pinch force modulation for
14 sub-acute and chronic stroke patients with sensory deficiency and 14 healthy controls.
The other ten chronic stroke patients (ranges of stroke period: 6-60 months) were
recruited to investigate the effects of 4-weeks computerized biofeedback treatments
on the hand control ability. The biofeedback procedures provide visual and auditory
cues to the participants when the interactive force of hand-to-object exceeded the
target latitude in a pinch-up-holding task to trigger optimal motor strategy. Follow-up
measurements were conducted one month after training. The hand sensibility, grip forces
and results of hand functional tests were recorded and analyzed.
Results
The affected hands of the 14 predominant sensory stroke patients exhibited statistically
significant elevation in the magnitude of peak pinch force (p = 0.033) in pinching
and liftingup tasks, and poor results for hand function tests (p = 0.005) than sound
hands did. In addition, the sound hands of patients were less efficient in force modulation
(p = 0.009) than the hands of healthy subjects were. Training with the biofeedback
system produced significant improvements in grip force modulation (p = 0.020) and
better performances in the subtests of pin insertion (p = 0.019), and lifting of lightweight
objects (p = 0.005).
Conclusions
The CERB prototype can provide momentary and interactive information for quantitative
assessing and re-educating force modulation appropriately for stroke patients with
sensory deficits. Furthermore, the patients could transfer the learned strategy to
improve hand function.
Full provisional here:http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/pdf/1743-0003-9-26.pdf
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