Article

Objective: To compare the effects of contralesional sensory cueing and limb
activation with that of sham control in the treatment of unilateral neglect after
stroke. Design: A randomized, single-blinded, sham-controlled pilot study.
Setting: Two rehabilitation hospitals. Subjects: Forty subacute left hemiplegic
stroke inpatients with unilateral neglect. Interventions: Participants were
assigned randomly to 1 of 2 groups. The experimental group wore a wristwatch
cueing device over the hemiplegic arm for three hours a day, five days per week,
for three weeks, and also underwent conventional rehabilitation. Patients were
encouraged to move their hemiplegic arm five consecutive times after each prompt.
The sham group underwent the same rehabilitation process, except they wore a sham
device. Main measures: Neglect, arm motor performance, and overall functioning
were assessed pre- and posttraining, and at follow-up. Results: There were no
significant differences between groups in outcome measures except the neglect
drawing tasks (p = 0.034) (the mean gain score from baseline to follow-up
assessment was 5.2 (3.7) in the experimental group and 1.9 (3.5) in the sham
group), across three time intervals. The experimental group showed greater
improvement in arm motor performance than did the sham group. Conclusion: The
results did not confirm that sensory cueing and limb activation treatment is
effective when compared with those receiving placebo to reduce unilateral
neglect, but it might be useful for promoting hemiplegic arm performance in
stroke patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS