title: Short-term effects of physiotherapy combining repetitive facilitation exercises and orthotic treatment in chronic post-stroke patients.
abstract: [Purpose] This study investigated the short-term effects of a combination therapy consisting of repetitive facilitative exercises and orthotic treatment. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were chronic post-stroke patients (n=27; 24 males and 3 females; 59.3 ± 12.4 years old; duration after onset: 35.7 ± 28.9 months) with limited mobility and motor function. Each subject received combination therapy consisting of repetitive facilitative exercises for the hemiplegic lower limb and gait training with an ankle-foot orthosis for 4 weeks. The Fugl-Meyer assessment of the lower extremity, the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set as a measure of motor performance, the Timed Up & Go test, and the 10-m walk test as a measure of functional ambulation were evaluated before and after the combination therapy intervention. [Results] The findings of the Fugl-Meyer assessment, Stroke Impairment Assessment Set, Timed Up & Go test, and 10-m walk test significantly improved after the intervention. Moreover, the results of the 10-m walk test at a fast speed reached the minimal detectible change threshold (0.13 m/s). [Conclusion] Short-term physiotherapy combining repetitive facilitative exercises and orthotic treatment may be more effective than the conventional neurofacilitation therapy, to improve the lower-limb motor performance and functional ambulation of chronic post-stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Tarumizu Municipal Medical Center Tarumizu Chuo Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomioka
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Kirishima Rehabilitation Center of Kagoshima University Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Kirishima Rehabilitation Center of Kagoshima University Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uema
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Tarumizu Municipal Medical Center Tarumizu Chuo Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Jun-Ichi
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Sameshima
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Tarumizu Municipal Medical Center Tarumizu Chuo Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakashita
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Tarumizu Municipal Medical Center Tarumizu Chuo Hospital, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimodozono
keywords: Ankle-foot orthosis; Repetitive facilitation exercise; Stroke