Psychometric properties of measures of upper limb activity performance in adults with and without spasticity undergoing neurorehabilitation-A systematic review

An exploratory international survey of the assessments and interventions used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists during the hospitalization of people with Guillain-Barré syndrome

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare neurological condition. Although some people make a substantial functional recovery, almost half require intensive rehabilitation. Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey which investigated the assessments and interventions used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists for people with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Seventy valid responses were received from 10 countries. The survey highlighted four factors about current practice: (i) practitioners did not identify the use of formal clinical guidelines or protocols for Guillain-Barré Syndrome treatment of the upper limb; (ii) a range of standardized and non-standardized assessment and goal-setting tools are utilized; (iii) interventions include passive and active range of motion exercises, and the prescription of upper limb/hand splints; and (iv) interdisciplinary practice is common in the intensive care unit and during acute phases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, whereas discipline-specific work is more common during rehabilitation. A range of goal-setting and assessment tools are used by occupational therapists and physiotherapists during the hospitalization of people with Guillain-Barré syndrome. The type and duration of interventions vary and may reflect the lack of international protocols for Guillain-Barré syndrome rehabilitation.

Quantitative Assessment of Upper Limb Movement in Post-Stroke Adults for Identification of Sensitive Measures in Reaching and Lifting Activities

BACKGROUND

The assumption of this work is the achievement of objective results of the movement structure, which forms the basis for in-depth analysis and, consequently, for determining the upper limb movements that are most affected by stroke compared to healthy people.

METHODS

An analysis of relevant and systematically identified features of upper limb movement in post-stroke adults is presented based on scalable hypothesis tests. The basic features were calculated using movements defined by the x, y, and z coordinates (i.e., 3D trajectory time series) and compared to the results of post-stroke patients with healthy controls of similar age.

RESULTS

After automatic feature selection, out of the 1004 common features of upper limb movement, the most differentiated were the upper arm movements in reaching kinematics. In terms of movement type, movements in the frontal plane (shoulder abduction and adduction) were the most sensitive to changes. The largest number of discriminating features was determined on the basis of acceleration time series.

CONCLUSIONS

In the 3D assessment of functional activities of the upper limb, the upper arm turned out to be the most differentiated body segment, especially during abduction and adduction movements. The results indicate a special need to pay attention to abduction and adduction movements to improve the activities of daily living of the upper limbs after a stroke.