Background
Poststroke patients reportedly experience entrapment neuropathies in the nonparetic
upper extremities, and the use of an assistive device for long periods may increase
this risk. We examined nerve conduction velocities in hemiparetic patients and investigated
the relationship between abnormal measurements and duration of walking.
Methods
Twenty-eight male hemiparetic outpatients who used a cane or a crutch participated
in this study. Clinical characteristics such as age, period of time from stroke onset,
side and severity of paresis, activities of daily living, and basic ability to walk,
as well as each patient's approximate number of hours walking per day, were collected.
Electrophysiological evaluation was performed via nerve conduction studies of the
median, ulnar, and radial nerves. The clinical features were compared between patients
with and without peripheral neuropathies.
Results
Twelve patients (43%) had peripheral neuropathies involving a total of 15 nerves.
There was no difference in age, duration of hemiparesis, side and severity of paresis,
Barthel index, and Functional Ambulation Classification between the 2 groups. Abnormalities
were absent in the patients who walked at or less than an hour but were present in
50% and 63.4% of patients with walking times of 1-2 hours and more than 2 hours, respectively.
Conclusions
Excessive use of a T-cane or a Lofstrand crutch was hypothesized to induce entrapment
neuropathies in the nonparetic upper extremity. To prevent these injuries, a well-balanced gait
should be established to reduce the load on the walking device.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 18, 2015
Accepted:
April 15,
2015
Received in revised form:
April 10,
2015
Received:
March 12,
2015
Identification
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2015.04.022
Copyright
© 2015 National Stroke Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
