My name is Antonio Conceicao. I’m a stroke survivor, with a serious physical disability, including moderate spasticity.

However, I think this is a “fight” that we can go winning!

Monday 9 January 2017

Device to help stroke patients to recover moves

Many people who suffer strokes will subsequently experience spasticity, where the arm and leg muscles cramp or spasm as a result of message between the brain and muscle being blocked. This can cause long periods of contraction in major muscles resulting in bent elbows, pointed feet, arms pressed against the chest, or the distinctive curled hand common to many stroke survivors.
Neuroscientists at Newcastle University have developed a new device which aims to help stroke patients by strengthening a spinal connection known as the reticulospinal tract that can take over some of the function of more major neural pathways connecting the brain to spinal cord when they are damaged following a stroke. This strengthening can alleviate the symptoms of spasticity in the hand and arm of patients, allowing them additional control that can help them regain an important degree of independence in their life.
An article published in the Journal of Neuroscience reports on the early success of this device, which is about the size of a mobile phone and can deliver an audible click followed by a small electric shock to the arm of patients. Electrical stimulation has previously been used to improve nerve function in other types of injury, but the combination with an auditory signal is new. The study shows that the device is able to strengthen the connections in the reticulospinal tract – the nerve tract in the spine which passes messages from the brain to the limb muscles. After a stroke, the body tends to recover the strength of connections to flexor muscles  (which allow you to close your hand)  more than extensor muscles (which allow you to open your hand). This is why many stroke patients suffer from a curled (semi-closed) hand.
Stuart Baker, Professor of Movement Neuroscience at Newcastle University who has led the work said: “We were astonished to find that a small electric shock and the sound of a click had the potential to change the brain’s connections. However, our previous research in primates changed our thinking about how we could activate these pathways, leading to our study in humans.”
You can read more in “K.M. RIASHAD FOYSAL, FELIPE DE CARVALHO, STUART N. BAKEr. Spike-timing Dependent Plasticity in the Long Latency Stretch Reflex Following Paired Stimulation from a Wearable Electronic Device.  Journal of Neuroscience, October 2016, 36 (42).” Or in www.jneurosci.org/content/36/42/10823.

Monday 2 January 2017

DNHS is a valid technique for Ictus too?

The DNHS (Dry Needling for Hypertonia and Spasticity) technique is a dry puncture technique whose objective is to reduce the spasticity and hypertonia of the patient with central nervous system injury and to improve its functionality.
In several articles, it is shown that the technique is effective in reducing hypertonia and spasticity in patients with central nervous system injury. Dry puncture has been demonstrated in the case of myofascial pain treatment as an effective technique, like the infiltration of substances such as botulinum toxin, with the advantage of having no side effects.

However, unlike the treatment of myofascial pain, the effectiveness of the DNHS technique in spasticity or hypertonia has not yet been compared with the infiltration of botulinum toxin, currently, investigations focus on analyzing the effectiveness of the technique compared to other treatments of Physiotherapy or in control groups.
But now, the Stroke Association of Aragon, in Spain, has signed an agreement of cooperation with specific Research Group iPhysio of San Jorge University (Zaragoza) to conduct a study with
DNHS technique in patients who have suffered a stroke in the chronic state. The technique DNHS is a dry needling technique specific to be applied to patients with impaired central nervous system and, in this case, has centered its focus on patients who have suffered a stroke more than six months ago, working on this case at the level of the upper limb.
For this reason, the Center for Neurorehabilitation of the Stroke Association, is the ideal place to develop the study since it is there where most patients receive rehabilitation when they discharge from the hospital.

The study has the support of the entire rehabilitation team and their own entity, provides the space to conduct this study. In addition, the Association will host its facilities to patients who are not current members but who are interested in participating in the study.