Published in:
01-04-2009 | Original Article
Motor dysfunction of the “non-affected” lower limb: a kinematic comparative study between hemiparetic stroke and total knee prosthesized patients
Authors:
Sergio Bagnato, Cristina Boccagni, Filippo Boniforti, Antonia Trinchera, Giovanni Guercio, Giulia Letizia, Giuseppe Galardi
Published in:
Neurological Sciences
|
Issue 2/2009
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Abstract
In patients with hemispheric stroke, abnormal motor performances are described also in the ipsilateral limbs. They may be due to a cortical reorganization in the unaffected hemisphere; moreover, also peripheral mechanisms may play a role. To explore this hypothesis, we studied motor performances in 15 patients with hemispheric stroke and in 14 patients with total knee arthroplasty, which have a reduced motility in the prosthesized leg. Using the unaffected leg, they performed five superimposed circular trajectories in a prefixed pathway on a computerized footboard, while looking at a marker on the computer screen. The average trace error was significantly different between the groups of patients and healthy subjects [F
(2,25) = 7.9; p = 0.003]; on the contrary, the test time execution did not vary significantly. In conclusion, both groups of patients showed abnormal motor performances of the unaffected leg; this result suggests a likely contribution of peripheral mechanisms.