Deans' stroke musings: Robot-Assisted Stair Climbing Training on Postural Control and Sensory Integration Processes in Chronic Post-stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

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.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Robot-Assisted Stair Climbing Training on Postural Control and Sensory Integration Processes in Chronic Post-stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Maybe, just maybe your doctor can get this into your rehab since there already is a protocol for this. All she has to do is contact the researchers. It will never occur.

Robot-Assisted Stair Climbing Training on Postural Control and Sensory Integration Processes in Chronic Post-stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Marialuisa Gandolfi^1,2*,

Nicola Valè^1,2,

Eleonora Dimitrova^1,2,

Maria Elisabetta Zanolin³,

Nicola Mattiuz^1,2,

Elisa Battistuzzi^1,2,

Marcello Beccari^1,2,

Christian Geroin¹,

Alessandro Picelli^1,2,

Andreas Waldner⁴ and

Nicola Smania^1,2

¹Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
²UOC Neurorehabilitation, AOUI Verona, Verona, Italy
³Unit of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
⁴Department of Neurological Rehabilitation, Private Hospital Villa Melitta, Bolzano, Italy

Background: Postural control disturbances are one of the important causes of disability in stroke patients affecting balance and mobility. The impairment of sensory input integration from visual, somatosensory and vestibular systems contributes to postural control disorders in post-stroke patients. Robot-assisted gait training may be considered a valuable tool in improving gait and postural control abnormalities.

Objective: The primary aim of the study was to compare the effects of robot-assisted stair climbing training against sensory integration balance training on static and dynamic balance in chronic stroke patients. The secondary aims were to compare the training effects on sensory integration processes and mobility.

Methods: This single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involved 32 chronic stroke outpatients with postural instability. The experimental group (EG, n = 16) received robot-assisted stair climbing training. The control group (n = 16) received sensory integration balance training. Training protocols lasted for 5 weeks (50 min/session, two sessions/week). Before, after, and at 1-month follow-up, a blinded rater evaluated patients using a comprehensive test battery. Primary outcome: Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Secondary outcomes:10-meter walking test, 6-min walking test, Dynamic gait index (DGI), stair climbing test (SCT) up and down, the Time Up and Go, and length of sway and sway area of the Center of Pressure (CoP) assessed using the stabilometric assessment.

Results: There was a non-significant main effect of group on primary and secondary outcomes. A significant Time × Group interaction was measured on 6-min walking test (p = 0.013) and on posturographic outcomes (p = 0.005). Post hoc within-group analysis showed only in the EG a significant reduction of sway area and the CoP length on compliant surface in the eyes-closed and dome conditions.

Conclusion: Postural control disorders in patients with chronic stroke may be ameliorated by robot-assisted stair climbing training and sensory integration balance training. The robot-assisted stair climbing training contributed to improving sensorimotor integration processes on compliant surfaces. Clinical trial registration (NCT03566901).