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Objective:To observe the effect of observing good swallowing on the swallowing action of stroke survivors with dysphagia.Methods:Eighteen stroke survivors with dysphagia were randomly divided into a treatment group ( n=9) and a control group ( n=9). In addition to routine swallowing rehabilitation therapy, the treatment group was asked to simulate swallowing after watching a video of normal people′s swallowing action. They did so 5 times a week for 10 minutes, while the control group just watched landscape videos at the same time. The treatment lasted 8 weeks. Before and after the treatment, both groups were assessed using the eating assessment tool (EAT-10), the functional oral intake scale (FOIS) and the penetration and aspiration scale (PAS). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was also used to observe their swallowing action. Results:There was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the measurements before the treatment. After the 8 weeks of treatment the average EAT-10, FOIS and PAS scores of the treatment group were all significantly better than before the treatment and better than the control group′s averages at the time. fMRI showed significantly more areas activated in the precuneus, parietal lobe, posterior central gyrus, BA7, BA5, frontal lobe and paracentral lobule in the treatment group compared with before the intervention and also more than in the control group.Conclusions:Observing proper swallowing action can improve dysphagia and activation of the swallowing-related brain areas of stroke survivors.
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Objective To explore the effect of robot-assisted therapy on the shoulder joint proprioception of convalescent stroke survivors.Methods Forty stroke survivors were enrolled and randomized into an experimental group (n =20) and a control group (n =20).Both groups received routine drug treatment and rehabilitation,including the traditional kinesitherapy,occupational therapy and physical therapy,but the experimental group was additionally provided with 20 minutes of robot-assisted upper limb therapy 6 times a week for 8 weeks.Before the intervention and at 4 and 8 weeks the multi-joint system (MJS) upper limb proprioception test system was used to evaluate the average trace error and test execution time of the upper limb.Shoulder joint proprioception was measured at 30° and 60° in intorsion and extorsion using an isokinetic dynamometer.Results Before the training there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of any of the assessments.After 4 and 8 weeks of training,significant improvement was observed in the measurements,and those of the experimental group were significantly better than those of the control group at the same time points.Conclusion Robot-assisted therapy can facilitate the recovery of shoulder joint proprioception after a stroke.It is worthy of application in clinical practice.