OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on lower limb spasticity in subacute stroke patients. METHODS We studied thirty hemiplegic subacute stroke patients with ankle plantar flexor spasticity. ESWT was applied for 1 session/week, with a total of 3 sessions at the musculotendinous junction of medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles. Patients were evaluate...

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether the direct application of vibratory stimuli inhibits spasticity and improves motor function in the hemiplegic upper limbs of post-stroke patients. DESIGN Prospective pilot study. SETTING University hospital rehabilitation centre. SUBJECTS Fourteen post-stroke patients (mean age = 57.3 years; SD = 19.1 years). INTERVENTIONS A hand and forearm stimulation ...

OBJECTIVE Neurological dysfunction commonly occurs in the upper limb contralateral to the hemisphere of the brain in which stroke occurs; however, the impact of stroke on function of the ipsilesional upper limb is not well understood. This study aims to systematically review the literature relating to the function of the ipsilesional upper limb following stroke and answer the following research...

Purpose of the Work. A robotic exercise device has been developed (MIT-Manus) and shown in a research setting to be capable of providing therapy to the arm of patients with weakness due to stroke, which simulates a conventional therapy known as skateboard therapy. We evaluated whether this robot-assisted task-specific therapy could also improve motor function in stroke patients with continuous,...

OBJECTIVES Increased resistance to stretch of muscles after stroke may be the result of centrally mediated neural factors such as spasticity or local, peripheral factors such as muscle contracture or thixotropy. The aim was to investigate evidence for an abnormal thixotropic response and compare this with two other factors-contracture and spasticity-which could potentially contribute to muscle ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the efficacy of a stretching and strengthening exercise program using an upper extremity robot, as compared with a conventional occupational therapy program for upper extremity spasticity in stroke patients. METHODS Subjects were randomly divided into a robot-assisted therapy (RT) group and a conventional rehabilitation therapy (CT) group. RT group patients received RT ...