Effects of problem-oriented willed-movement therapy on motor abilities for people with poststroke cognitive deficits.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cognitive deficits after stroke are common and interfere with recovery. One purpose of this study was to determine whether the motor abilities of subjects who have poststroke cognitive deficits and who have received problem-oriented willed-movement (POWM) therapy will improve more than the motor abilities of subjects in the reference group who have received neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT). Another purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between cognitive function and motor abilities for both groups. SUBJECTS: The subjects recruited for this study were 36 men and 11 women with various degrees of poststroke cognitive deficits. METHODS: A randomized block design was used to assign the subjects to 2 groups. Cognitive function and motor ability were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM). Both groups received physical therapy 5 or 6 times per week in 50-minute sessions. RESULTS: The STREAM scores improved after treatment in both groups. Main group effects were found for the lower-extremity (F=4.58, P< .05) and basic mobility (F=27.49, P< .01) subscales of the STREAM. Pretest cognitive function showed a positive relationship with posttest motor ability in the NDT group (r = .446, P< .05). However, the relationship between pretest cognitive function and posttest motor ability had no statistical significance in the POWM group (r = .101, P= .630). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that, regardless of a person's cognitive function, POWM intervention is effective in improving lower-extremity and basic mobilities and indicates the need to use relatively intact cognitive function or perceptual function, or both, to improve motor rehabilitation for people with cognitive function deficits.

[Epidemiologic research on the clinical features of patients with cervical spondylosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features of patients with cervical spondylosis. METHODS: Questionnaires were provided and X rays were examined in 1 009 people with different occupations, ages, and sexes. RESULTS: All the patients were diagnozed as cervical spondylosis. Of them, cadres occupied 78.83%, technologists made up 74.21%, and accountants 58.70%; nervous and long-time working people accounted for 59.75%; high and middle pillow-lovers occupied 80.03%. Imaging features: most of the degenerative changes of cervical spine were located between C5-6 (40.79%), C4-5 (26.29%), and C6-7 (18.20%). Patients with vertebral osteophyte were 65.75%, intervertebral space narrow 36.87%, intervertebral foramen narrow 29.19%, and physiological curve change 31.03%. CONCLUSION: This epidemiologic investigation is important, which can further understand the cause of cervical spondyiosis, and strengthen its prevention and treatment.