Dose–Response Study of Mobilisation and Tactile Stimulation Therapy for the Upper Extremity Early After Stroke (original) (raw)

2011, Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair

Background. Physical therapy doses may need to be higher than provided in current clinical practice, especially for patients with severe paresis. The authors aimed to find the most effective and feasible dose of Mobilisation and Tactile Stimulation (MTS), which includes joint and soft-tissue mobilization and passive or active-assisted movement to enhance voluntary muscle contraction. Methods. This 2-center, randomized, controlled, observer-blinded feasibility trial compared conventional rehabilitation but no extra therapy (group 1) with conventional therapy plus 1 of 3 daily doses of MTS, up to 30 (group 2), 60 (group 3), or 120 (group 4) minutes for 14 days. The 76 participants had substantial paresis (Motricity Index [MI] < 61) a mean of 30 days (standard deviation [SD] = 20 days) after anterior circulation stroke. MTS was delivered using a standardized schedule of techniques (eg, sensory input, active-assisted movement). The primary outcome was the Motricity Index (MI) and sec...