Treatments for Recovery of Hand Function in Acute Stroke Survivors

NCT ID: NCT00565045

Last Updated: 2018-12-19

Study Results

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE1/PHASE2

Total Enrollment

21 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2007-07-31

Study Completion Date

2010-04-30

Brief Summary

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Impaired hand function is one of the most frequently persisting consequences of stroke. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether two different types of treatment improve recovery of hand function after stroke.

Detailed Description

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Loss of hand function is common after stroke. Previous research suggests that treatments that focus on movement of both hands at the same time or treatments that electrically stimulate the paretic (weak) hand muscles may help the recovery of hand function after stroke. In this study, two electrical stimulation treatments will be compared in their effectiveness in restoring hand movement and hand function. One of the treatments is stimulation only, and the other is stimulation linked to movement of the contralateral hand.

Study participants will be stroke survivors who are enrolled while they are still within their first 6 months after their stroke. After enrolling, their hand movement and function will be tested. Then they will be randomly assigned to one of the two treatments. Each treatment will last 6 weeks. The treatment will require the participant to perform specific exercises at home for a total of 2 hours every day and to come to the laboratory twice a week for study-related occupational therapy. At the end of the 6-week treatment, tests of hand movement and hand function will be repeated. The same tests will be repeated again at 1 and 3 months after the end of treatment to see if the effects of the treatment persist as time goes on. Changes in upper extremity impairment and activity limitation will be compared across treatment groups.

Conditions

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Stroke, Acute Stroke Hemiparesis Hemiplegia

Keywords

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hand stroke hemiplegia electrical stimulation recovery

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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CCFES

CCFES - Contralaterally Controlled Functional Electrical Stimulation

* Stimulation to finger and thumb extensors and flexors only in response to and with an intensity proportional to opening and closing of the contralateral unimpaired hand
* A glove instrumented with sensors and worn on the unimpaired hand detects the degree of hand opening and determines stimulation intensity
* Therapy sessions are done with the subject being assisted by the CCFES system.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Neuromuscular electrical stimulator

Intervention Type DEVICE

Intervention Characteristics Common to Both Groups

• 6-week intervention

1. Home "exercise", daily

1. Exercise (at home) 2 sessions/day
2. A "session" consists of 3 (for CCFES) or 4 (for cNMES) 15-min sets separated by 5 min rest
3. A "set" entails hand opening, closing, and relaxing in response or synchrony to light and sound cues and according to group-specific instructions
2. Lab "therapy", 2x/week

1. Two 1.5-hr sessions/week, working on functional hand tasks and tracking task (if possible).

cNMES

cNMES - Cyclic NeuroMuscular Electrical Stimulation.

* Preprogrammed cycles of finger and thumb flexor and extensor stimulation repeatedly and automatically close and open the hand without any effort or voluntary intent required by the subject.
* Subject instructed to relax, not attempt to assist the stimulation, and not to move the contralateral arm/hand during stimulation
* Therapy sessions are done without the stimulation system

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Neuromuscular electrical stimulator

Intervention Type DEVICE

Intervention Characteristics Common to Both Groups

• 6-week intervention

1. Home "exercise", daily

1. Exercise (at home) 2 sessions/day
2. A "session" consists of 3 (for CCFES) or 4 (for cNMES) 15-min sets separated by 5 min rest
3. A "set" entails hand opening, closing, and relaxing in response or synchrony to light and sound cues and according to group-specific instructions
2. Lab "therapy", 2x/week

1. Two 1.5-hr sessions/week, working on functional hand tasks and tracking task (if possible).

Interventions

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Neuromuscular electrical stimulator

Intervention Characteristics Common to Both Groups

• 6-week intervention

1. Home "exercise", daily

1. Exercise (at home) 2 sessions/day
2. A "session" consists of 3 (for CCFES) or 4 (for cNMES) 15-min sets separated by 5 min rest
3. A "set" entails hand opening, closing, and relaxing in response or synchrony to light and sound cues and according to group-specific instructions
2. Lab "therapy", 2x/week

1. Two 1.5-hr sessions/week, working on functional hand tasks and tracking task (if possible).

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 18 to 80
* Within 6 months of first clinical hemorrhagic or nonhemorrhagic stroke
* Cortical or subcortical stroke
* Unilateral upper extremity hemiparesis with severe finger extensor and flexor paresis (\<= grade 4 on Medical Research Council (MRC) scale)
* Adequate movement of the shoulder and elbow to allow volitional positioning of the affected hand in the workspace.
* Surface NMES of finger and thumb extensors produces functional hand opening without pain
* Full volitional opening of the contralateral hand of the unimpaired side.
* Able to follow 3 stage commands
* Able to remember at least 2 of 3 items after 30 minutes
* Able to hear and respond (by opening the less affected hand) to auditory cues issued from the stimulator?
* Caregiver available and willing to help assist with the device and home regimen and ensure compliance
* Skin intact on hemiparetic arm
* Medically stable

Exclusion Criteria

* Insensate forearm and/or hand
* Edema of the affected forearm and/or hand
* History of potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias.
* Cardiac pacemakers or any other implanted electronic systems
* Pregnant women
* Uncontrolled seizure disorder
* Severely impaired cognition or comprehension
* Uncompensated hemineglect
* Severe depression (\>= 13 on Beck Depression Inventory Fast Screen)
* Ipsilateral lower motor neuron lesion
* Parkinson's Disease
* Spinal cord injury
* Traumatic brain injury
* Multiple sclerosis
* Lack of functional passive range of motion of the wrist or fingers of affected side
* Severe shoulder or hand pain (unable to volitionally position hand in the workspace without pain)
* Intramuscular botulinum toxin injections in upper extremity muscle in the last 3 months
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

80 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Case Western Reserve University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH

Sponsor Role collaborator

MetroHealth Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Jayme Knutson

Assistant Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Jayme S Knutson, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

MetroHealth Medical Center

Locations

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MetroHealth Medical Center

Cleveland, Ohio, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Knutson JS, Harley MY, Hisel TZ, Chae J. Improving hand function in stroke survivors: a pilot study of contralaterally controlled functional electric stimulation in chronic hemiplegia. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2007 Apr;88(4):513-20. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2007.01.003.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17398254 (View on PubMed)

Glanz M, Klawansky S, Stason W, Berkey C, Chalmers TC. Functional electrostimulation in poststroke rehabilitation: a meta-analysis of the randomized controlled trials. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1996 Jun;77(6):549-53. doi: 10.1016/s0003-9993(96)90293-2.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 8831470 (View on PubMed)

Chae J, Bethoux F, Bohine T, Dobos L, Davis T, Friedl A. Neuromuscular stimulation for upper extremity motor and functional recovery in acute hemiplegia. Stroke. 1998 May;29(5):975-9. doi: 10.1161/01.str.29.5.975.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 9596245 (View on PubMed)

Luft AR, McCombe-Waller S, Whitall J, Forrester LW, Macko R, Sorkin JD, Schulz JB, Goldberg AP, Hanley DF. Repetitive bilateral arm training and motor cortex activation in chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2004 Oct 20;292(15):1853-61. doi: 10.1001/jama.292.15.1853.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15494583 (View on PubMed)

Whitall J, McCombe Waller S, Silver KH, Macko RF. Repetitive bilateral arm training with rhythmic auditory cueing improves motor function in chronic hemiparetic stroke. Stroke. 2000 Oct;31(10):2390-5. doi: 10.1161/01.str.31.10.2390.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 11022069 (View on PubMed)

Mudie MH, Matyas TA. Can simultaneous bilateral movement involve the undamaged hemisphere in reconstruction of neural networks damaged by stroke? Disabil Rehabil. 2000 Jan 10-20;22(1-2):23-37. doi: 10.1080/096382800297097.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 10661755 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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http://www.metrohealth.org/body.cfm?id=2438

The MetroHealth System - Clinical Trials

Other Identifiers

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R21HD054749

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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