Ultrasound-guided superficial serratus plane block for persistent post-mastectomy pain: four case reports.

Background: Persistent post-mastectomy pain (PPMP) is common after surgery. Although multiple modalities have been used to treat this type of pain, including medications, physical therapy, exercise interventions, cognitive-behavioral psychology, psychosocial interventions, and interventional approaches, managing PPMP may be still a challenge for breast cancer survivors. Currently, serratus plane block (SPB) as a novel regional anesthetic technique shows promising results for controlling chronic pain.

Wearable devices for tracking physical activity in the community after an acquired brain injury: A systematic review.

Objective: The application of wearable devices in individuals with acquired brain injury (ABI) resulting from stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI) for monitoring physical activity (PA) has been relatively recent. The current systematic review aims to provide insights into the adaption of these devices, the outcome metrics, and their transition from the laboratory to the community for PA monitoring of individuals with ABI.

Literature Survey: The PubMed and Google Scholar databases were systematically reviewed using appropriate search terms.

Graph-theoretical analysis of EEG functional connectivity during balance perturbation in traumatic brain injury: A pilot study.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in balance impairment, increasing the risk of falls, and the chances of further injuries. However, the underlying neural mechanisms of postural control after TBI are not well understood. To this end, we conducted a pilot study to explore the neural mechanisms of unpredictable balance perturbations in 17 chronic TBI participants and 15 matched healthy controls (HC) using the EEG, MRI, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data.

Feasibility of a real-time pattern-based kinematic feedback system for gait retraining in pediatric cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Visual biofeedback of lower extremity kinematics has the potential to enhance retraining of pathological gait patterns. We describe a system that uses wearable inertial measurement units to provide kinematic feedback on error measures generated during periods of gait in which the knee is predominantly extended ('extension period') and flexed ('flexion period').

Methods: We describe the principles of operation of the system, a validation study on the inertial measurement unit derived knee flexion angle on which the system is based, and a feasibility study to assess the ability of a child with cerebral palsy to modify a gait deviation (decreased swing phase knee flexion) in response to the feedback.

Effect of robotic exoskeleton gait training during acute stroke on functional ambulation.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability resulting in long-term functional ambulation deficits. Conventional therapy can improve ambulation, but may not be able to provide consistent, high dose repetition of movement, resulting in variable recovery with residual gait deviations.

Objective: The objective of this preliminary prospective investigation is to evaluate the ability of a robotic exoskeleton (RE) to provide high dose gait training, and measure the resulting therapeutic effect on functional ambulation in adults with acute stroke.

Does saddle height influence knee frontal-plane biomechanics during stationary cycling?

Introduction: Cycling is a common modality for rehabilitation and exercise. However, there is a lack of information in the literature on the effects of saddle height adjustments on internal peak knee abduction moment, which is an important loading variable for the medial compartment of tibiofemoral joint for patients with knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of saddle height on frontal-plane biomechanics of the knee during cycling.

Movement direction impacts knee joint kinematics during elliptical exercise at varying incline angles.

Background: Elliptical trainers are a popular cardiovascular exercise for individuals with injuries or those post-operation. There is currently limited data on the impacts of direction while on elliptical trainers for knee joint kinematic risk factors. This study compared lower extremity kinematics between the forward and reverse direction at varying inclines on an elliptical trainer modified with converging footpath and reduced inter-pedal distance.

Training with Agency-Inspired Feedback from an Instrumented Glove to Improve Functional Grasp Performance.

Sensory feedback from wearables can be effective to learn better movement through enhanced information and engagement. Facilitating greater user cognition during movement practice is critical to accelerate gains in motor function during rehabilitation following brain or spinal cord trauma. This preliminary study presents an approach using an instrumented glove to leverage sense of agency, or perception of control, to provide training feedback for functional grasp.

Use of Surface EMG in Clinical Rehabilitation of Individuals With SCI: Barriers and Future Considerations.

Surface electromyography (sEMG) is a widely used technology in rehabilitation research and provides quantifiable information on the myoelectric output of a muscle. In this perspective, we discuss the barriers which have restricted the wide-spread use of sEMG in clinical rehabilitation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). One of the major obstacles is integrating the time-consuming aspects of sEMG in the already demanding schedule of physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other clinicians.

Enhancing sensory acuity and balance function using near-sensory biofeedback-based perturbation intervention for individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Bacground: Interventions addressing balance dysfunction after traumatic brain injury (TBI) only target compensatory aspects and do not investigate perceptual mechanisms such as sensory acuity.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a novel intervention that integrates sensory acuity with a perturbation-based approach for improving the perception and functional balance after TBI.

Methods: A two-group design was implemented to evaluate the effect of a novel, perturbation-based balance intervention.

Augmented-reality guided treadmill training as a modality to improve functional mobility post-stroke: A proof-of-concept case series.

: To provide a proof-of-concept for a novel stroke-gait-specific augmented reality (AR)-guided treadmill intervention by evaluating its effect on temporospatial and functional outcomes of mobility.: Two females with hemiplegia post stroke were recruited for participation in a 4-week intervention, and a single healthy control was recruited for baseline comparisons. The stroke-intervention (SI) participant (aged 54-years), completed 12 sessions of AR-guided treadmill intervention.

Hand Focused Upper Extremity Rehabilitation in the Subacute Phase Post-stroke Using Interactive Virtual Environments.

Innovative motor therapies have attempted to reduce upper extremity impairment after stroke but have not made substantial improvement as over 50% of people post-stroke continue to have sensorimotor deficits affecting their self-care and participation in daily activities. Intervention studies have focused on the role of increased dosing, however recent studies have indicated that timing of rehabilitation interventions may be as important as dosing and importantly, that dosing and timing interact in mediating effectiveness. This study is designed to empirically test dosing and timing.

Postural Control Dysfunction and Balance Rehabilitation in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at an increased risk for falls and fall-related injuries. It is unclear whether current balance rehabilitation techniques largely developed in cognitively intact populations would be successful in older adults with MCI. This mapping review examined the available balance rehabilitation research conducted in older adults with MCI.

Kinetic Gait Changes after Robotic Exoskeleton Training in Adolescents and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury.

Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is one of the leading causes of motor deficits in children and adults and often results in motor control and balance impairments. Motor deficits include abnormal loading and unloading, increased double support time, decreased walking speed, control, and coordination. These deficits lead to diminished functional ambulation and reduced quality of life.

The retention of fall-resisting behavior derived from treadmill slip-perturbation training in community-dwelling older adults.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether and to what extent the immediate generalization of treadmill slip-perturbation training could be retained over 6 months to resist overground slip-induced falls. Four protocols (Tc: treadmill control; Tt: treadmill slip-perturbation training; Oc: overground control; Ot: overground slip-perturbation training) from two randomized controlled trials were compared in which two training protocols were executed with single-session repeated slip-perturbation training on the treadmill or overground context, while two control protocols were executed without repeated training. A total of 152 community-dwelling older adults (≥ 65 years) who were trained by one of the four protocols and tested by an overground slip in the initial session attended a retest session 6 months later.

Evaluating Sensory Acuity as a Marker of Balance Dysfunction After a Traumatic Brain Injury: A Psychophysical Approach.

There is limited research on sensory acuity i.e., ability to perceive external perturbations via body-sway during standing in individuals with a traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Improved stability of long-duration sitting in spatial neglect after a single session of prism adaptation.

Spatial neglect after right brain stroke affects balance, and improvements in sitting balance after prism adaptation have been demonstrated using short-duration center of pressure (CoP) data. We present long-duration (5 min) CoP and trunk muscles electromyography recordings of a 61-year-old man with left-sided spatial neglect, before and after a single session of prism adaptation. His CoP-derived measures showed improved balance and postural stability in both the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions after prism adaptation.

Visual kinematic feedback enhances the execution of a novel knee flexion gait pattern in children and adolescents.

Background: Altered knee motion is one of the most common gait deviations in pediatric populations with gait disorders. The potential for pediatric gait retraining using visual feedback based on knee kinematic patterns is under-explored.

Research Question: This study investigated whether pediatric participants could successfully modify knee flexion patterns in response to a visual kinematic feedback system (VKFS).

Kinematic and Functional Gait Changes After the Utilization of a Foot Drop Stimulator in Pediatrics.

Foot drop is one of the most common secondary conditions associated with hemiplegia post stroke and cerebral palsy (CP) in children, and is characterized by the inability to lift the foot (dorsiflexion) about the ankle. This investigation focuses on children and adolescents diagnosed with brain injury and aims to evaluate the orthotic and therapeutic effects due to continuous use of a foot drop stimulator (FDS). Seven children (10 ± 3.

The Role of Recovery Lower Limb Segments in Post-Slip Determination of Falls Due to Instability or Limb Collapse.

Slip-related falls can be induced by instability or limb collapse, but the key factors that determine these two fall causations remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute towards instability-induced and limb-collapse-induced slip-related falls by investigating 114 novel slip trials. The segment angles and moments of the recovery limb after slip-onset from pre-left-touchdown (pre-LTD) to post-left-touchdown (post-LTD) were calculated, and logistic regression was used to detect which variable contributed most to instability-induced and limb-collapse-induced falls.