A meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of two different upper limb hemiparesis interventions on improving health-related quality of life following stroke

Patterns of enhancement in paretic shoulder kinematics after stroke with musical cueing

Musical cueing has been widely utilised in post-stroke motor rehabilitation; however, the kinematic evidence on the effects of musical cueing is sparse. Further, the element-specific effects of musical cueing on upper-limb movements have rarely been investigated. This study aimed to kinematically quantify the effects of no auditory, rhythmic auditory, and melodic auditory cueing on shoulder abduction, holding, and adduction in patients who had experienced hemiparetic stroke. Kinematic data were obtained using inertial measurement units embedded in wearable bands. During the holding phase, melodic auditory cueing significantly increased the minimum Euler angle and decreased the range of motion compared with the other types of cueing. Further, the root mean square error in the angle measurements was significantly smaller and the duration of movement execution was significantly shorter during the holding phase when melodic auditory cueing was provided than when the other types of cueing were used. These findings indicated the important role of melodic auditory cueing for enhancing movement positioning, variability, and endurance. This study provides the first kinematic evidence on the effects of melodic auditory cueing on kinematic enhancement, thus suggesting the potential use of pitch-related elements in psychomotor rehabilitation.

The effect of a dysfunctional upper limb on community-dwelling stroke survivors and their carers: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

OBJECTIVES

The poststroke upper limb continues to pose a myriad of physical and psychological challenges for patients and caregivers. To optimize existing services, this study firstly aimed to explore the experiences of both stroke survivors and caregivers and secondly identify their ongoing needs.

METHODS

A qualitative approach was utilized for this study. Six participants (three stroke survivors and three caregivers) were purposively sampled from community stroke groups. Semi structured interviews were utilized to collect experiential data, which were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach.

RESULTS

Three master themes emerged from data analysis: "Finding a way forwards from a poor start," "The battle with the upper-limb," and "Relationships with self and society." All participants, seemingly affected by disappointing services, expressed negative views of rehabilitation. Misplaced or persistent hope, losses in control, and reduced autonomy may have contributed to poor functional outcomes and perceptions of rehabilitation services. The complex physical and psychological impact of the experience of the dysfunctional upper limb was also associated with ongoing and unmet support needs for stroke survivors and carers.

CONCLUSIONS

Healthcare professionals may consider the varying impact of the dysfunctional upper limb during decision-making and treatment planning, particularly during acute rehabilitation. Future research could explore therapists' perceptions and experiences of upper-limb rehabilitation during this period.

Interventions to Improve Movement and Functional Outcomes in Adult Stroke Rehabilitation: Review and Evidence Summary

Background

Patients who have had a stroke may not be familiar with the terminology nor have the resources to efficiently search for evidence-based rehabilitation therapies to restore movement and functional outcomes. Recognizing that a thorough systematic review on this topic is beyond the scope of this article, we conducted a rapid review evidence summary to determine the level of evidence for common rehabilitation interventions to improve movement/motor and functional outcomes in adults who have had a stroke.

Objective

The objective of this study was to find evidence for common rehabilitation interventions to improve movement/motor and functional outcomes in adults who have had a stroke.

Methods

Medline Complete, PubMed, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Database, Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Source, Dissertation Abstracts International, and National Guideline Clearinghouse, from 1996 to April of 2016, were searched. From 348 articles, 173 met the following inclusion criteria: (1) published systematic reviews or meta-analyses, (2) outcomes target functional movement or motor skills of the upper and lower limbs, (3) non-pharmacological interventions that are commonly delivered to post-stroke population (acute and chronic), (4) human studies, and (5) English. Evidence tables were created to analyze the findings of systematic reviews and meta-analyses by category of interventions and outcomes.

Results

This rapid review found that the following interventions possess credible evidence to improve functional movement of persons with stroke: cardiorespiratory training, therapeutic exercise (ie, strengthening), task-oriented training (task-specific training), constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT), mental practice, and mirror therapy. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) (ie, functional electrical stimulation) shows promise as an intervention for stroke survivors.

Conclusions

Most commonly delivered therapeutic interventions to improve motor recovery after a stroke possess moderate quality evidence and are effective. Future research recommendations, such as optimal timing and dosage, would help rehabilitation professionals tailor interventions to achieve the best outcomes for stroke survivors.

Sonification of Arm Movements in Stroke Rehabilitation - A Novel Approach in Neurologic Music Therapy

Gross motor impairments are common after stroke, but efficient and motivating therapies for these impairments are scarce. We present an innovative musical sonification therapy, especially designed to retrain patients’ gross motor functions. Sonification should motivate patients and provide additional sensory input informing about relative limb position. Twenty-five stroke patients were included in a clinical pre–post study and took part in the sonification training. The patients’ upper extremity functions, their psychological states, and their arm movement smoothness were assessed pre and post training. Patients were randomly assigned to either of two groups. Both groups received an average of 10 days (M = 9.88; SD = 2.03; 30 min/day) of musical sonification therapy [music group (MG)] or a sham sonification movement training [control group (CG)], respectively. The only difference between the two protocols was that in the CG no sound was played back during training. In the beginning, patients explored the acoustic effects of their arm movements in space. At the end of the training, the patients played simple melodies by coordinated arm movements. The 15 patients in the MG showed significantly reduced joint pain (F = 19.96, p < 0.001) in the Fugl–Meyer assessment after training. They also reported a trend to have improved hand function in the stroke impact scale as compared to the CG. Movement smoothness at day 1, day 5, and the last day of the intervention was compared in MG patients and found to be significantly better after the therapy. Taken together, musical sonification may be a promising therapy for motor impairments after stroke, but further research is required since estimated effect sizes point to moderate treatment outcomes.

Moving with music for stroke rehabilitation: a sonification feasibility study

Gross-motor impairments are common after stroke, but efficacious and motivating therapies for these impairments are scarce. We present a novel musical sonification therapy especially designed to retrain gross-motor functions. Four stroke patients were included in a clinical pre-post feasibility study and were trained with our sonification training. Patients' upper-extremity functions and their psychological states were assessed before and after training. The four patients were subdivided into two groups, with both groups receiving 9 days of musical sonification therapy (music group, MG) or a sham sonification training (control group, CG). The only difference between these training protocols was that, in the CG, no sound was played back. During the training the patients initially explored the acoustic effects of their arm movements, and at the end of the training the patients played simple melodies by moving their arms. The two patients in the MG improved in nearly all motor function tests after the training. They also reported in the stroke impact scale, which assesses well-being, memory, thinking, and social participation, to be less impaired by the stroke. The two patients in the CG did benefit less from the movement training. Taken together, musical sonification may be a promising therapy for impairments after stroke.

Sonification as a possible stroke rehabilitation strategy

Despite cerebral stroke being one of the main causes of acquired impairments of motor skills worldwide, well-established therapies to improve motor functions are sparse. Recently, attempts have been made to improve gross motor rehabilitation by mapping patient movements to sound, termed sonification. Sonification provides additional sensory input, supplementing impaired proprioception. However, to date no established sonification-supported rehabilitation protocol strategy exists. In order to examine and validate the effectiveness of sonification in stroke rehabilitation, we developed a computer program, termed “SonicPointer”: Participants' computer mouse movements were sonified in real-time with complex tones. Tone characteristics were derived from an invisible parameter mapping, overlaid on the computer screen. The parameters were: tone pitch and tone brightness. One parameter varied along the x, the other along the y axis. The order of parameter assignment to axes was balanced in two blocks between subjects so that each participant performed under both conditions. Subjects were naive to the overlaid parameter mappings and its change between blocks. In each trial a target tone was presented and subjects were instructed to indicate its origin with respect to the overlaid parameter mappings on the screen as quickly and accurately as possible with a mouse click. Twenty-six elderly healthy participants were tested. Required time and two-dimensional accuracy were recorded. Trial duration times and learning curves were derived. We hypothesized that subjects performed in one of the two parameter-to-axis–mappings better, indicating the most natural sonification. Generally, subjects' localizing performance was better on the pitch axis as compared to the brightness axis. Furthermore, the learning curves were steepest when pitch was mapped onto the vertical and brightness onto the horizontal axis. This seems to be the optimal constellation for this two-dimensional sonification.

Functional electrical stimulation-facilitated proliferation and regeneration of neural precursor cells in the brains of rats with cerebral infarction

Previous studies have shown that proliferation of endogenous neural precursor cells cannot alone compensate for the damage to neurons and axons. From the perspective of neural plasticity, we observed the effects of functional electrical stimulation treatment on endogenous neural precursor cell proliferation and expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the rat brain on the infarct side. Functional electrical stimulation was performed in rat models of acute middle cerebral artery occlusion. Simultaneously, we set up a placebo stimulation group and a sham-operated group. Immunohistochemical staining showed that, at 7 and 14 days, compared with the placebo group, the numbers of nestin (a neural precursor cell marker)-positive cells in the subgranular zone and subventricular zone were increased in the functional electrical stimulation treatment group. Western blot assays and reverse-transcription PCR showed that total protein levels and gene expression of epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor were also upregulated on the infarct side. Prehensile traction test results showed that, at 14 days, prehension function of rats in the functional electrical stimulation group was significantly better than in the placebo group. These results suggest that functional electrical stimulation can promote endogenous neural precursor cell proliferation in the brains of acute cerebral infarction rats, enhance expression of basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor, and improve the motor function of rats.

Overview of botulinum toxin as a treatment for spasticity in stroke patients

Spasticity after the occurrence of stroke induces limb deformity, functional disability and/or pain in patients, which limits their activities of daily living and deteriorates their quality of life. Botulinum toxin (BTX) has recently been reported as an efficacious therapeutic agent for the treatment of spasticity. Systematic review and meta-analysis studies have demonstrated that BTX therapy after stroke reduces spasticity and increases physical activity capacity and performance levels. Moreover, BTX can be used as an adjuvant in physiotherapy. Several studies have confirmed that the combination of BTX therapy and physiotherapy improves motor recovery. However, to date, only a few such combination studies have been conducted and their findings are considered preliminary and controversial. Therefore, future studies are required to determine the appropriate combination of treatment methods that will aid motor recovery.