Abstract
Background and objectives: Hemispatial neglect is a common consequence of stroke, with an estimated incidence of 23%. Interventions for treating hemispatial neglect may be categorized as either top-down or bottom-up processing. The aim of top-down approaches is to train the person to voluntarily compensate for their neglect. Such approaches require awareness of the disorder and a high level of active participation by the patient. Differently, bottom-up approaches are based on manipulation of a patient’s sensory environment and so require less awareness of behavioral bias. In line with the latter, it is conceivable that elastic therapeutic taping applied to the left neck surface may provide bottom-up inputs that reduce hemispatial neglect symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of therapeutic neck taping on visuo-spatial abilities, neck motion, and kinesthetic sensibility in chronic stroke patients with hemispatial neglect. Materials and Methods: After randomization, 12 chronic stroke patients with hemispatial neglect received 30 consecutive days of real (treatment group) or sham (control group) neck taping. The outcomes were as follows: Stars Cancellation Test; neck active range of motion; Letter Cancellation Test; Comb and Razor Test; Cervical Joint Position Error Test evaluated before and after one month of taping. Results: Between-group comparison showed significant differences only for the Cervical Joint Position Error Test after treatment (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Our preliminary findings support the hypothesis that neck taping might improve cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility in chronic stroke patients with hemispatial neglect. Further studies are needed to strengthen our results and better investigate the effects of elastic therapeutic taping on visuo-spatial abilities in stroke patients with hemispatial neglect.
Highlights
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults [1]
Inclusion criteria were as follows: age > 18 years; presence of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke that had occurred at least 6 months earlier; presence of hemispatial neglect (Star Cancellation Test score < 50) [30]; ability to actively rotate the head toward the left in a closed-eyes condition
No significant difference in effect on visuo-spatial abilities or on motor abilities was found between the two groups, neck Active Range of Motion (AROM) was improved in the treatment group (TG) patients after 4 weeks of application
Summary
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in adults [1]. Its sequelae may affect both sensorimotor systems and cognitive functions [2,3]. Hemispatial neglect is a common consequence of stroke, with an estimated incidence of 23% (range 8 to 95% in stroke patients) [4,5]. The aim of top-down approaches is to train the person to voluntarily compensate for their neglect Such approaches require awareness of the disorder and a high level of active participation by the patient. Bottom-up approaches are based on manipulation of a patient’s sensory environment and so require less awareness of behavioral bias In line with the latter, it is conceivable that elastic therapeutic taping applied to the left neck surface may provide bottom-up inputs that reduce hemispatial neglect symptoms. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of therapeutic neck taping on visuo-spatial abilities, neck motion, and kinesthetic sensibility in chronic stroke patients with hemispatial neglect. The outcomes were as follows: Stars Cancellation Test; neck active range of motion; Letter Cancellation Test; Comb and Razor
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