Ankle-foot orthoses and continuous functional electrical stimulation improve walking speed after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials

Gait training with a safety suspension device accelerates the achievement of supervision level walking in subacute stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Practicing walking in a safety suspension device allows patients to move freely and without excessive reliance on a therapist, which requires correcting errors and may facilitate motor learning. This opens the possibility that patients with subacute stroke may improve their walking ability more rapidly. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that overground gait training in a safety suspension device will result in achieving faster supervision-level walking than gait training without the suspension device. Twenty-seven patients with stroke admitted to the rehabilitation ward with functional ambulation categories (FAC) score of 2 at admission were randomly allocated to safety suspension-device group (SS group) or conventional assisted-gait training group (control group). In addition to regular physical therapy, each group underwent additional gait training for 60 min a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. We counted the days until reaching a FAC score of 3 and assessed the probability using Cox regression models. The median days required to reach a FAC score of 3 were 7 days for the SS group and 17.5 days for the control group, which was significantly different between the groups ( P  < 0.05). The SS group had a higher probability of reaching a FAC score of 3 after adjusting for age and admission motor impairment (hazard ratio = 3.61, 95% confidence interval = 1.40-9.33, P  < 0.01). The gait training with a safety suspension device accelerates reaching the supervision-level walking during inpatient rehabilitation. We speculate that a safety suspension device facilitated learning by allowing errors to be experienced and correct in a safe environment.

Is functional electrical stimulation effective in improving walking in adults with lower limb impairment due to an upper motor neuron lesion? An umbrella review

PURPOSE

To conduct an umbrella review of systematic reviews on functional electrical stimulation (FES) to improve walking in adults with an upper motor neuron lesion.

METHODS

Five electronic databases were searched, focusing on the effect of FES on walking. The methodological quality of reviews was evaluated using AMSTAR2 and certainty of evidence was established through the GRADE approach.

RESULTS

The methodological quality of the 24 eligible reviews (stroke, n = 16; spinal cord injury (SCI), n = 5; multiple sclerosis (MS); n = 2; mixed population, n = 1) ranged from critically low to high. Stroke reviews concluded that FES improved walking speed through an orthotic (immediate) effect and had a therapeutic benefit (i.e., over time) compared to usual care (low certainty evidence). There was low-to-moderate certainty evidence that FES was no better or worse than an Ankle Foot Orthosis regarding walking speed post 6 months. MS reviews concluded that FES had an orthotic but no therapeutic effect on walking. SCI reviews concluded that FES with or without treadmill training improved speed but combined with an orthosis was no better than orthosis alone. FES may improve quality of life and reduce falls in MS and stroke populations.

CONCLUSION

FES has orthotic and therapeutic benefits. Certainty of evidence was low-to-moderate, mostly due to high risk of bias, low sample sizes, and wide variation in outcome measures. Future trials must be of higher quality, use agreed outcome measures, including measures other than walking speed, and examine the effects of FES for adults with cerebral palsy, traumatic and acquired brain injury, and Parkinson's disease.

Manipulating facial musculature with functional electrical stimulation as an intervention for major depressive disorder: a focused search of literature for a proposal

BACKGROUND

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is associated with interoceptive deficits expressed throughout the body, particularly the facial musculature. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, afferent feedback from the facial muscles suffices to alter the emotional experience. Thus, manipulating the facial muscles could provide a new "mind-body" intervention for MDD. This article provides a conceptual overview of functional electrical stimulation (FES), a novel neuromodulation-based treatment modality that can be potentially used in the treatment of disorders of disrupted brain connectivity, such as MDD.

METHODS

A focused literature search was performed for clinical studies of FES as a modulatory treatment for mood symptoms. The literature is reviewed in a narrative format, integrating theories of emotion, facial expression, and MDD.

RESULTS

A rich body of literature on FES supports the notion that peripheral muscle manipulation in patients with stroke or spinal cord injury may enhance central neuroplasticity, restoring lost sensorimotor function. These neuroplastic effects suggest that FES may be a promising innovative intervention for psychiatric disorders of disrupted brain connectivity, such as MDD. Recent pilot data on repetitive FES applied to the facial muscles in healthy participants and patients with MDD show early promise, suggesting that FES may attenuate the negative interoceptive bias associated with MDD by enhancing positive facial feedback. Neurobiologically, the amygdala and nodes of the emotion-to-motor transformation loop may serve as potential neural targets for facial FES in MDD, as they integrate proprioceptive and interoceptive inputs from muscles of facial expression and fine-tune their motor output in line with socio-emotional context.

CONCLUSIONS

Manipulating facial muscles may represent a mechanistically novel treatment strategy for MDD and other disorders of disrupted brain connectivity that is worthy of investigation in phase II/III trials.

The quality of systematic reviews/meta-analyses assessing the effects of ankle-foot orthosis on clinical outcomes in stroke patients: A methodological systematic review

Background and Aims

Given the importance of systematic reviews (SRs) for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, it is essential to assess them to ensure robust methodology and reliable results before applying them. The purpose of this methodological study was to assess the methodological and reporting quality of recently published SRs and/or meta-analyses (MAs) evaluating the effects of ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) on clinical outcomes in stroke survivors.

Methods

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, ProQuest, CENTRAL, REHABDATA, and PEDro were searched. The research team applied A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) tool and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) checklist for evaluating the reporting and methodological quality, respectively, and the ROBIS tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias (RoB) in the included reviews. The quality of the evidence was also judged using the (Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) GRADE method.

Results

In final, 14 SRs/MAs met inclusion criteria. Evaluation of methodological quality using the AMSTAR-2 tool demonstrated that the overall quality of included reviews was mostly "critically low" or "low," except for two studies that were "high." In addition, the findings showed that the mean score of the reporting quality of the included reviews based on the PRISMA criteria was 24.9, down from 42. In accordance with the overall evaluation applying the ROBIS tool, 14.3% of the review studies were evaluated as high RoB, 64.3% were evaluated as unclear RoB, and 21.4% were evaluated as low RoB. Regarding the level of evidence quality, the GRADE results indicated that the evidence quality of the included reviews was unsatisfactory.

Conclusion

This study showed that although the reporting quality of recently published SR/MAs evaluating the clinical effects of AFOs in stroke survivors was moderate, the methodological quality of almost all reviews was suboptimal. Therefore, reviewers must consider a number of criteria in designing, conducting, and reporting their studies to move toward transparent and conclusive results.

Optimization of electrical stimulation for the treatment of lower limb dysfunction after stroke: A systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

To compare the treatment effect of five electrical stimulation methods commonly used in the treatment of stroke patients with lower limb dysfunction.

METHODS

We implemented a systematic search of 3915 studies published up to January 2023 from eight databases and two clinical trial registries. First, two independent reviewers critically evaluated trial eligibility according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Next, they selected and extracted data. Then, they assessed the risk of bias. Pairwise meta-analysis and Bayesian network meta-analysis were conducted to estimate the effectiveness and ranking of the five electrical stimulation methods.

RESULTS

A total of 33 trials with a final total of 2246 subjects were included in the analysis. By combining the comprehensive Rehabilitation Treatment (RT), the treatment effects of using five electrical stimulation methods were surperior to those of using RT only. In the meantime, RT+transcranial Direct Current Stimulation(tDCS) and RT+Functional Electrical Stimulation(FES) could be the optimal electric stimulation schemes for restoring lower limb motor function(SMD 8.35, 95%CI [3.05, 13.34]/ SMD 5.64, 95%CI [3.68, 7.56]), improving balance (SMD 9.80, 95%CI [0.67, 20.93]/ SMD 6.54, 95%CI [3.85, 10.95]) and activities of daily living(SMD 18.95, 95%CI [0.401, 36.9]/ SMD 15.47, 95%CI [7.89, 22.75]), and the treatment effects would be even better using RT+FES+tDCS combination.

CONCLUSION

tDCS and FES superior to other electrical stimulation methods based on RT in the treatment of lower limb dysfunction after stroke.

Orthoses for neurological ankles

Patients with weakness or abnormal posture of their lower leg may benefit greatly from appropriate orthoses. This paper describes the sorts of problems that can be helped in neurological practice and the range of devices commonly used, and also highlights some of the factors influencing selection. With greater understanding of their use, clinicians will feel more confident about referring patients for early orthotic assessment.

Home-based exercises are as effective as equivalent doses of centre-based exercises for improving walking speed and balance after stroke: a systematic review

QUESTIONS

In people who have had a stroke, how comparable are the effects of home-based exercises with those of equivalent centre-based exercises for improving walking speed, balance, mobility and participation? Is the comparability of the effects of these two types of exercise maintained beyond the intervention period?

DESIGN

Systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, Cochrane, PsycINFO and PEDro databases, without date or language restrictions.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants in the reviewed studies were ambulatory adults at any time after stroke.

INTERVENTIONS

The experimental intervention consisted of home-based exercises, which was compared with equivalent doses of centre-based exercises.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Walking speed, balance, mobility and participation.

DATA ANALYSIS

The quality of included trials was assessed using the PEDro scores. Outcome data were extracted from the eligible trials and combined in random-effects meta-analyses. The quality of evidence was determined according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system.

RESULTS

Nine trials involving 609 participants were included. Random-effects meta-analyses provided high-quality evidence that home-based and centre-based exercises provide similar effects on walking speed (MD -0.03 m/s, 95% CI -0.07 to 0.02) and balance (MD 0 points, 95% CI -1 to 2). Results regarding mobility (SMD -0.4, 95% CI -1.3 to 0.4) and participation (MD -5 points, 95% CI -19 to 10) were imprecise. For most outcomes, the effects of home-based exercises and centre-based exercises remained similar beyond the intervention period.

CONCLUSION

Effects of home-based prescribed exercises on walking speed, balance, mobility and participation are likely to be similar to improvements obtained by equivalent doses of centre-based exercises after stroke.

REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO (CRD42021254642).

Brazilian practice guidelines for stroke rehabilitation: Part II

The Brazilian Practice Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation - Part II, developed by the Scientific Department of Neurological Rehabilitation of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology (Academia Brasileira de Neurologia, in Portuguese), focuses on specific rehabilitation techniques to aid recovery from impairment and disability after stroke. As in Part I, Part II is also based on recently available evidence from randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and other guidelines. Part II covers disorders of communication, dysphagia, postural control and balance, ataxias, spasticity, upper limb rehabilitation, gait, cognition, unilateral spatial neglect, sensory impairments, home rehabilitation, medication adherence, palliative care, cerebrovascular events related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, the future of stroke rehabilitation, and stroke websites to support patients and caregivers. Our goal is to provide health professionals with more recent knowledge and recommendations for better rehabilitation care after stroke.

Increased Trailing Limb Angle is Associated with Regular and Stable Trunk Movements in Patients with Hemiplegia

OBJECTIVES

In post-stroke patients, shifts in the center of gravity may affect joint movement patterns of the paraplegic lower limb during walking. The impact of changes in ankle dorsiflexion angle and trailing limb angle due to slight weight-shifting is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of the abovementioned parameters on gait characteristics measured by trunk acceleration.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

During walking, the ankle dorsiflexion angle and trailing limb angle were assessed using two-dimensional motion analysis. Shifts in the center of gravity were assessed to evaluate symmetry, regularity, and sway of trunk movements by calculating the harmonic ratio, autocorrelation coefficient, and root mean square using a wearable trunk accelerometer.

RESULTS

Ankle dorsiflexion angle showed a significant negative correlation with the root mean square of the anteroposterior axis (r = -0.460, p = 0.005). Trailing limb angle was significantly correlated with the autocorrelation coefficient of the vertical axis (r = 0.585, p < 0.001) and root mean square of the vertical (r = -0.579, p < 0.001), mediolateral (r = -0.474, p = 0.004), and anteroposterior axes (r = -0.548, p = 0.001). Trailing limb angle was a significant predictor (autocorrelation coefficient vertical axis, p = 0.001; root mean square vertical axis, p = 0.001; mediolateral axis, p = 0.007; anteroposterior axis, p = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Trailing limb angle can indicate the acquisition of forward propulsion during walking; an increase in it may contribute to improvements of the regular vertical movement ability and stability of the center of gravity sway.