Transient Impact of Prolonged Versus Repetitive Stretch on Hand Motor Control in Chronic Stroke

Abstract

Repetitive PROM stretching exhibited trends to be more effective than prolonged stretching for improving hand motor control. Although the results were highly variable and the effects are undoubtedly transient, an extended period of repetitive PROM stretching may prove advantageous prior to hand therapy sessions to maximize treatment.

Assessment of the strength of the trunk and upper limb muscles in stroke subjects with portable dynamometry: a literature review

“…Those that assessed handgrip strength included 1,408 individuals of both sexes, who had ages ranging from 16 to 93 years and the time since the onset of stroke ranging from two From the 41 studies that evaluated handgrip strength, 24 (58.54%) provided detailed information regarding the subjects' positioning or the data collection protocols (Table 2). Since 17 studies did not provide this information (43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59), they were not included in the table. As can be seen in Table 2, the seated position was employed in 11 studies (73.33%) (9, 12, 28,31,62,63,65,70,72,76,77).…”

“…The resting time was reported in seven studies with alternated measurements between the UL being the most employed method (42.9%) (12, 68,74). Eighteen studies (69.2%) repoted bilateral measures of handgrip strength (4, 9, 12, 28, 47, 48, 52, 54-56, 59, 61, 62, 68, 72, 74, 76, 77), while eight (30.8%) only assessed the paretic limb (31,45,58,64,65,70,71,73).…”

User-Centric Feedback for the Development and Review of a Unique Robotic Glove Prototype to Be Used in Therapy

“…To further reduce the weight applied to the hand, the actuation system was placed on a separate unit on the forearm which would house the motors' mechanism and provide a set base for operation by attaching to the cables in the glove. The vacuum's outer layer also provides an additional protection to the cables from impact that is not provided to the exposed cables in previous designs [13, 14]. Whilst the creation of a vacuum can be loud and distracting, the aesthetic factors appearance and noise were amongst the lowest scoring criteria in the total study (1.78 and 1.56/5, resp.…”

“…The design had a worn hand component that the user would interact with, along with a larger controller and actuator unit that is not worn; assessing the mobility of this device showed it to be achieving at least 86% of the maximal rotation in each joint of the thumb and 71.5% for the index finger. Smaller glove designs that are completely wearable have also begun to be developed, with examples such as the J-Glove and X-Glove [13, 14]. They are cable-driven designs that are portable and can be completely worn by the patient, although the results have not produced a significant improvement in patient outcomes, along with the design exposing the mechanism that enables its operation which may compromise the motion of the hand.…”

Local and Systemic Changes in Pain Sensitivity After 4 Weeks of Calf Muscle Stretching in a Nonpainful Population: A Randomized Trial

“…Stretching is often used in clinical practice for a number of purposes including increasing joint range of motion, treating tendinopathies, reducing injury risks in athletes, and as a pain management tool . The effectiveness of stretching is unclear, and the underlying mechanisms behind stretching are not fully understood …”