Reorganization of finger coordination patterns through motor exploration in individuals after stroke.
Rajiv Ranganathan
PMID 28893292WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors got faster at a cursor task and showed wider free finger movement after training, but the main finger pattern did not change more from the first to the last training session.
There was no control group.
Key findings
01The cursor map requiring independent finger movement was harder to perform than the map that did not require it.
02With practice, movement time and the time needed to reorganize after the map changed both decreased.
03In a separate free movement task, the main finger pattern accounted for less variance after training, from 82 ± 7% to 74 ± 11%, which means a wider movement repertoire.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so the improvements could have come from repeated exposure to the task rather than the training itself. Only people with some finger movement who could wear the data glove were included, so it does not show what would happen in more severe hand impairment. Some participants were excluded for technical difficulties or did not complete the learning phase, leaving a small number for analysis. The main finger pattern did not show a reliable change from the first to the last training session. The outcomes were cursor control and free movement patterns, not daily task performance.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this training improves hand function after stroke. The study had no control group, so the changes could have come from repeated exposure to the task. It also included only people with mild to moderate hand movement who could wear the glove.