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Treating sensory impairments in the post-stroke upper limb with intermittent pneumatic compression. Results of a
D C Cambier1, E De Corte, L A Danneels
1Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences & Physiotherapy, Ghent University, Belgium. dirk.cambier@rug.ac.be
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in treating sensory impairments in the hemiplegic upper limb in stroke patients.
Design:
Twenty-three stroke patients were enrolled in a randomized, controlled preliminary trial that compared the application of intermittent pneumatic compression with a passive treatment strategy.
Setting:
Four Belgian day centres for treatment of neurological disabilities. Four acute and rehabilitation care wards specialized in neurological treatment.
Subjects:
Twenty-three stroke patients.
Interventions:
The experimental group (n = 11) received standard physiotherapy combined with intermittent pneumatic compression treatment (10 cycles of 3 minutes with a peak of 40 mmHg) for their hemiplegic upper limb. The control group (n = 12) received supplementary to their conventional physiotherapy a placebo treatment, namely sham short-wave therapy on the hemiplegic shoulder for 30 minutes.
Main Outcome Measures:
Sensory impairments were clinically assessed at three occasions over a period of four weeks using the Nottingham Sensory Assessment scale.
Results:
Both groups improved in somatosensation over time, but the experimental group improved more than the control group (p= 0.036) or 81.1% improvement versus 30.9%.
Conclusions:
The use of intermittent pneumatic compression in the rehabilitation of stroke patients may be of clinical importance for the restoration of sensory function.