Well, I would suggest that spasticity also causes limb heaviness more so than fatigue. This is not a perceptual problem, it is real. With no mention of spasticity I have to wonder if they have ever talked to real stroke survivors.
Limb Heaviness A Perceptual Phenomenon Associated With Poststroke Fatigue?
- Annapoorna Kuppuswamy, PhD1⇑
- Ella Clark, MSc1
- John Rothwell, PhD1
- Nick S. Ward, MD1
- Annapoorna Kuppuswamy, PhD, Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, 33, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG, UK. Email: a.kuppuswamy@ucl.ac.uk
Abstract
Poststroke fatigue and limb heaviness are 2
perceptual problems that commonly occur after stroke. Previous work
suggests that
poststroke fatigue may be related to altered
sensorimotor processing whereas limb heaviness is often considered an
association
of muscle weakness. To address the hypothesis that
the perception of limb heaviness may also be a problem of altered
sensorimotor
control, we investigated whether it was more
closely related to poststroke fatigue or muscle weakness. In 69 chronic
stroke
survivors, we found that those with high perceived
limb heaviness (31 individuals) also reported significantly higher
levels
of fatigue (4.8/7) than those with no perceived
limb heaviness (38 individuals, fatigue score = 2.68/7), but there was
no
difference in weakness between the 2 groups. This
intriguing finding is discussed in relation to effort perception and
sensory
processing. The association between limb heaviness
and poststroke fatigue and a dissociation from muscle weakness gives
rise
to the hypothesis that limb heaviness maybe a
centrally arising sensorimotor disorder.
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