Arm and hand rehabilitation
Arm and hand rehabilitation with children with cerebral palsy, persons with multiple sclerosis and stroke, persons with spinal cord injuries and persons with a stroke.
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Children with cerebral palsy
Neurological factors challenging bimanual motor control and treatment response in children with unilateral cerebral palsy.
Children with unilateral Cerebral Palsy (uCP) present many sensorimotor deficits in their impaired arm, compromising effective use in daily life activities. Accurate motor control between both arms is vital in performing bimanual tasks. This proposal is triggered by the need to provide well-targeted treatment plans optimizing bimanual motor control.
Nevertheless, bimanual motor control is not well understood and the brain dysfunctions challenging bimanual motor control in children with uCP have been poorly investigated. However, recent advancements in robotics allow us to obtain objective information of how both arms are used together during bimanual tasks. In this project, we aim to improve our current understanding of bimanual motor control and treatment response in children with uCP.
We will first acquire an in-depth quantification of bimanual motor control and, secondly, examine the role of neurological factors influencing bimanual motor control in children with uCP, i.e. structural connectivity of the corpus callosum, corticospinal tract wiring pattern and the sensory systems. Lastly, we will investigate the efficacy of an integrated somatosensory and bimanual motor therapy program and identify the best responders.
Hence, the findings of this project will result in an advanced understanding of bimanual motor control, and contribute to tailor-made intervention programs.
Katrijn Klingels
Persons with multiple sclerosis and stroke
Individuals who continue to experience severe issues with arm-hand function three months after a stroke often retain functional complaints when using their hands in the long term. One possible reason is that the amount of therapy provided in the early stages after the stroke was too limited.
What is the ideal amount of additional therapy for arm-hand function in individuals with sensorimotor complaints in the arm and hand recovering after a stroke?
In this study, we investigate whether a higher dose of therapy for arm and hand function in the early phase after a stroke is feasible, and we aim to determine the maximum duration per additional session for patients with moderate to severe complaints in the acute and early subacute stages after the stroke. We will compare three amounts of multimodal therapy for the arm and hand, consisting of specific arm-hand training and functional electrical stimulation in combination with standard rehabilitation.
Testing the Trunk, Shoulder, and Arm in Neurological Patients: Reliability, Validity, and the Underlying Relationship between Trunk, Shoulder, and Arm.
Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) or those who have had a stroke experience sensorimotor problems caused by their condition. Recent motion analyses indicate that excessive trunk or shoulder movement often occurs when reaching for an object. However, the interaction between the trunk, shoulder, and arm during reaching is not fully studied or understood.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate this interaction between trunk/shoulder and arm limitations in individuals with MS or after a stroke. In a cross-sectional case-controlled observational study, 80 individuals with MS or after a stroke will be evaluated while performing isolated trunk, shoulder, and upper limb movements. Additionally, the combination of movements will be assessed during reaching.Through structural equation modeling, the direct and indirect effects of the trunk, shoulder, and upper limb will be examined.
Furthermore, the weighing/determining effect of these three actors on reaching will be mapped. This study aims to evaluate the effect of the trunk, shoulder, and upper limb on reaching.
Peter Feys
Ilse Lamers
Persons with spinal cord injuries
Training components crucial to optimize the training of arm/hand skill performance in subacute cervical spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a traumatic life event that results in a dysfunction of normal sensory, motor, and autonomic functions. A cervical spinal cord injury (C-SCI) has problems with the upper and lower extremities. Upper limb function plays a critical role in activities of daily living (ADL) and independence. People with C-SCI rate upper limb function as the most important component in functional recovery to improve quality of life, in subacute and chronic phase (>3 years post-injury).
Intensive upper limb exercise therapy is very important to improve functional recovery in patients with C-SCI. According to the literature of motor and neurological recovery 3 essential training components in arm/hand skills in subacute C-SCI can be identified i.e. Exercise therapy should be task specific, the dose should be sufficiently high and the patient should be motivated. However, the optimal exercise parameters are currently unknown.
This study aims to investigate the training components i.e. task-oriented training components and therapy dose dimensions, that are crucial for optimizing training of upper extremity skilled performance.
Annemie Spooren
Persons with a stroke
Annemie Spooren