Movement smoothness changes during stroke recovery.
Smoothness is characteristic of coordinated human movements, and stroke patients' movements seem to grow more smooth with recovery. We used a robotic therapy device to analyze five different measures of movement smoothness in the hemiparetic arm of 31 patients recovering from stroke. Four of the five metrics showed general increases in smoothness for the entire patient population. However, according to the fifth metric, the movements of patients with recent stroke grew less smooth over the course of therapy. This pattern was reproduced in a computer simulation of recovery based on submovement blending, suggesting that progressive blending of submovements underlies stroke recovery.
Rohrer
Brandon
B
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA. brrohre@sandia.gov
Fasoli
Susan
S
Krebs
Hermano Igo
HI
Hughes
Richard
R
Volpe
Bruce
B
Frontera
Walter R
WR
Stein
Joel
J
Hogan
Neville
N
D000054:Acceleration; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D010045:Outpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010291:Paresis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012371:Robotics; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013997:Time Factors