Sensory Stimulation Effect on Movement Speed in Patients With Parkinson Disease

NCT ID: NCT01544738

Last Updated: 2012-03-06

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 11 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-11-30

Brief Summary

Movement slowness (bradykinesia) is one of the main motor symptoms in Parkinson Disease (PD). Several studies have shown that patients with PD exhibit slowness because they are unable to modulate, in an optimal way, the velocity of voluntary motor acts not induced by external stimulation. Indeed, these patients have difficulties to integrate multi-sensorial information, mainly proprioception.

The investigators investigated changes in shoulder velocity during pointing movements by patients with PD after stimulation of soft tissues (aponeurosis) of upper limb muscles. The stimulation consisted of manipulating, with a hook (the diacutaneous fibrolysis method), the aponeurotic tissues enrobing the heads of the upper limb muscles. This technique has previously been shown to decrease passive tension and the tendon reflex response of the manipulated muscle group. The investigators hypothesis is that aponeurotic manipulation of shoulder muscles therefore creates a modification in the proprioceptive information, which in return temporarily decreases the bradykinesia of shoulder movements.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Aponeurotic stimulation group

The stimulation consisted of manipulating, with a hook (the diacutaneous fibrolysis method), the aponeurotic tissues enrobing the heads of the trunk and upper limb muscles.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Aponeurotic stimulation (the diacutaneous fibrolysis method)

Intervention Type: OTHER

Treatment consisted of manipulating, with a hook, the aponeurotic tissues enrobing the heads of the upper-limb muscles. The manipulation consisted of back and forth mobilization, applied perpendicularly to the axis of the muscular fibers. The mobilization is performed with both hands; the therapist's non-dominant hand performs a manual mobilization whereas the dominant hand follows the movement with the hook. The hook allows the therapist to be very precise about the location of the tissues that are stretched. This stretch is realized at the level of the aponeurotic fibers presenting the greatest resistance to perpendicular movement. The shape of the hook is chosen to avoid discomfort or pain during manipulation. To spread the pressure exerted by the spatula on a very local point, it is important to fill completely the curved part of the hook with the adjacent soft tissues. We manipulated muscle from the proximal insertion towards the distal, giving special attention to the tendons.

Placebo stimulation group

Placebo stimulation (PS) consisted of manipulating the skin along the same paths over the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles that were the targets for treatment in the Aponeurotic stimulation group.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Placebo stimulation

Intervention Type: OTHER

Placebo stimulation (PS) consisted of manipulating the skin along the same paths over the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles that were the targets for treatment in the AS group

Interventions

Aponeurotic stimulation (the diacutaneous fibrolysis method)

Treatment consisted of manipulating, with a hook, the aponeurotic tissues enrobing the heads of the upper-limb muscles. The manipulation consisted of back and forth mobilization, applied perpendicularly to the axis of the muscular fibers. The mobilization is performed with both hands; the therapist's non-dominant hand performs a manual mobilization whereas the dominant hand follows the movement with the hook. The hook allows the therapist to be very precise about the location of the tissues that are stretched. This stretch is realized at the level of the aponeurotic fibers presenting the greatest resistance to perpendicular movement. The shape of the hook is chosen to avoid discomfort or pain during manipulation. To spread the pressure exerted by the spatula on a very local point, it is important to fill completely the curved part of the hook with the adjacent soft tissues. We manipulated muscle from the proximal insertion towards the distal, giving special attention to the tendons.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Placebo stimulation

Placebo stimulation (PS) consisted of manipulating the skin along the same paths over the trunk, shoulder and arm muscles that were the targets for treatment in the AS group

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Clinical diagnosis of Parkinson Disease

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with a limitation in the shoulder range of motion necessary to perform pointing movements

• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Belgium: Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO)

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Université Libre de Bruxelles

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Ana Bengoetxea

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Ana Bengoetxea, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Françoise Leurs, PhD Student

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Leslie Rigal, Master Student

Role: STUDY_CHAIR

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Guy Cheron, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Locations

ULB-FSM Laboratory of neurophysiology and movement biomechanics

Brussels, , Belgium

Countries

Belgium

Other Identifiers

LMNB-01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id