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Clinical Evaluation and Rehabilitation System for Dynamic Balance Control in Cervical Myelopathy Patients

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Cervical Myelopathy
Interventions
Other: balance perturbation training
Registration Number
NCT02842775
Lead Sponsor
National Taiwan University Hospital
Brief Summary

Cervical myelopathy is common among the aging population.One of the complications of cervical myelopathy is balance impairment.In this study, the patients with cervical myelopathy undergo biomechanical, imaging, neurophysiological and functional assessment. Besides, the dynamic balance training is introduced to the patients with cervical decompression surgery.This study is expected to provide important empirical evidence to evaluate the prognosis of the surgery, to further guide the postoperative rehabilitation of myelopathy patients and to improve patients' long-term quality of life.

Detailed Description

Taiwan is quickly becoming a nation of the aging population with myelopathy reporting to be one of the most common spinal cord disorders associated with spinal degeneration. Given the high prevalence rate of the condition, current project aims to investigate the impact of myelopathy on motor control from a biomechanical perspective with the overall aim to develop an interactive balance perturbation rehabilitation program targeting individual patients and identified the deficiency. The efficacy of the individual rehabilitation program will be assessed and determined to utilize a prospective longitudinal study design. A break down of the proposed three-year project are as follows:

Year 1: Myelopathy patients prepared to receive cervical decompression surgery as well as age-matched asymptomatic controls will be recruited and subjected to the following clinical evaluations: 3-dimensional biomechanical motion analysis, diagnostic Magnetic Resonance Imaging, pain and disability questionnaires, motor performance assessment, spinal curvature, muscle strength assessment as well as transcranial magnetic stimulation examination. Motor control and coordination of functional movements will also be evaluated.

Year 2: Continue to recruit potential participants and further develop the use of the interactive split-belt balance perturbation treadmill as modalities for gait and balance therapy.

Year 3: Physical Therapy rehabilitation programs at 3-month post surgery, one group will participate in a specific and personalized interactive balance perturbation training program targeting balance and gait retraining, while the other group receives the routine Physical Therapy program. Both treatment groups will be assessed pre-operatively, at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Patients will be classified based on their severity and grade of the spinal cord compression before being compared for any difference in treatment responses.

Year 4: Follow-up monitoring and documenting the number of falls experienced by patients at one year postoperatively as an outcome of effectiveness.

Expected outcome and significance The findings from the current project will provide important empirical evidence to guide the postoperative rehabilitation of myelopathy patients. Through detailed biomechanical motion analysis, it is anticipated that this project will provide an in-depth understanding of the influence of decompression surgery on motor control and spinal stability. The tailored and innovative rehabilitation program will also improve patients' long-term quality of life.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
16
Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Dynamic balance exercise groupbalance perturbation trainingbalance perturbation training
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Kinetic(Ground reaction force)1 years

Ground reaction force

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)1 years
Kinematics (joint range of motion)1 year

joint range of motion

Electromyography(EMG)1 years

EMG of lower extremity

Muscle Strength Assessment by Dynamometer1 years

Muscle strength of upper and lower extremity

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Visual Analog Scale (VAS)3 years
Japanese Orthopaedic Association Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire(JOACMEQ)3 years
Neck Disability Index (NDI)3 years
Five Times Sit to Stand Test3 years
Nurick Classification3 years
Timed Up & Go test (TUG)3 years
Dynamic Gait Index (DGI)3 years

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

National Taiwan University Hospital

🇨🇳

Taipei, Taiwan

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