Deans' stroke musings: The ESCAPS study protocol: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of ‘Early electrical stimulation to the wrist extensors and wrist flexors to prevent the post-stroke complications of pain and contractures in the paretic arm’

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Monday, May 23, 2016

The ESCAPS study protocol: a feasibility randomised controlled trial of ‘Early electrical stimulation to the wrist extensors and wrist flexors to prevent the post-stroke complications of pain and contractures in the paretic arm’

Only 82 pages, 4,027 words, for your doctor to evaluate to see how to update your arm recovery stroke protocols.
You do have arm protocols? DON'T YOU?
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/1/e010079.draft-revisions.pdf

Abstract
Introduction: Approximately 70% of stroke patients experience
impaired arm function, which is persistent and disabling for an estimated 40%. Loss of function reduces independence in daily activities and impacts upon quality of life. Muscles in those who do not recover functional movement in the stroke affected arm are at risk of atrophy and contractures, which can be established as early as six weeks following stroke. Pain is also common. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy and costeffectiveness of delivering early intensive electrical stimulation (ES) to prevent poststroke complications in the paretic upper limb.
Methods and analysis:
This is a feasibility randomised controlled trial (n=40) with embedded qualitative studies (patient/carer interviews and
therapist focus groups) and feasibility economic evaluation. Patients will be recruited from the Stroke Unit at the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust within 72 hours after stroke. Participants will be randomised to receive usual care or usual care and early ES to the wrist flexors and extensors for 30 minutes twice a day, five days a week for 3 months. The initial treatment(s) will be delivered by an occupational therapist or physiotherapist who will then train the patient and/or their nominated carer to self manage subsequent treatments.