BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Thermal stimulation (TS) is commonly used in orthopedic rehabilitation, but the role of TS in the facilitation of sensorimotor recovery in hemiplegic patients remains unknown. This study addressed the issue of TS intervention in the facilitation of functional outcomes. METHODS Forty-six stroke survivors were randomly assigned to standard rehabilitation treatment and sta...

BACKGROUND Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) is a rehabilitation approach for arm paresis consisting of an intensive schedule of treatment (6 h/d). The high demand of resources for CIMT is a critical issue for its implementation in the Italian health system. OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of a reduced-intensity modified CIMT (mCIMT) program that included splinting the unaffected ar...

PURPOSE To prospectively evaluate long-term effects of repeated botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) injections in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS Repeated injections of BTX-A were offered to children with CP, according to clinical indications, for a maximum of four injections within a period of two years. Injections were administered into lower extremity muscles of 26 consecutive children (a...

Abstract Background Children with spastic diplegia experience gait abnormalities and problems caused by deficits in balance, motor control, spasticity. Abnormal pelvic inclination is common patients which may result poor balance. Purpose This study was conducted to investigate the relation between standing balance children diplegia. Subjects methods Thirty diplegic cerebral palsy from both sexe...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of tizanidine (an alpha(2) noradrenergic agonist) on transmission in the interneuronal pathway coactivated by group I and group II afferents in post-stroke patients with spastic hemiplegia. METHODS Early and late facilitation of the quadriceps H reflex elicited in the common peroneal nerve--attributed to non-monosynaptic group I and group II excitation, res...

PURPOSE This study used ultrasonography (US) to investigate the architectural changes in gastrocnemius muscles (GCM) after botulinum toxin injection (BoNT-A) in children with cerebral palsy (CP). MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirteen children with CP who received a BoNT-A injection into their GCM to treat equinus were recruited (9 males and 4 females). Architectural changes in both the medial and la...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of botulinum toxin A on spasticity and somatosensory evoked potentials of hand muscles in patients who have undergone cerebrovascular accident. DESIGN Preliminary, prospective, before-after study design. PATIENTS Six subjects prospectively followed after application of botulinum toxin A in the rehabilitation department of a university hospital. METHODS Al...

Spasticity is a common cause of long-term disability in poststroke hemiplegic patients. We investigated whether intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) could reduce upper-limb spasticity after a stroke. Fifteen hemiplegic stroke patients were recruited for a double-blind sham-controlled cross-over design study. A single session of iTBS or sham stimulation was delivered on the motor hotspot ...

The aim of this study was to determine the reliability and magnitude of error of three lower-limb clinical measures for children with cerebral palsy (CP): the Modified Ashworth Scale of Spasticity (MAS), passive range of movement (PROM) and the modified Tardieu scale (MTS). Six physiotherapists measured 11 females and seven males (mean age 6 years 4 months, SD 2 years 4 months; age range 2 year...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the immediate effect of a single session of whole body vibration (WBV) on lower extremity spasticity in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS Seventeen children with spastic CP were included. A single session of WBV was administered: 10-minute WBV, 1-minute rest, and 10-minute WBV. The effects of WBV were clinically assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)...