One of the strengths of this study is that patients had a range of ages and stroke durations; neither of these factors appeared to influence the amount of use or the potential to increase the amount of use with TST. However, this is in
contrast with Lin,6 Fritz,22 and colleagues, who reported age to be a predictor of change in the amount of use after CIMT. The differences may lie in the types of therapy delivered. CIMT is an intense rehabilitation regimen requiring restraint Navitoclax in vivo of the unaffected upper limb and making it essential for patients to use their paretic arm for activities. In contrast, TST (as used in the present study) involved less intense retraining of the paretic limb without specifically inhibiting
use of the less affected arm. It is conceivable that age may affect check details the response to the 2 therapy interventions differently, and this could impact on behavioral change, which has clinical implications for therapeutic provision. There is a substantial amount of research underway to attempt to predict the chance of recovery of arm function after stroke. These results provide further information to guide rehabilitation decisions, providing support for the idea that high functional ability is important for survivors of stroke to report adequate use of the upper limb in activities of daily living. a. SPSS; IBM UK Ltd, PO Box 41, North Harbour, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 3AU, England. We thank Tony Christopher and Lindsey Marjoram, BSc, for technical help. “
“In 2011, an estimated 37.9 million people, 12.2% of the U.S. population, were living with a disability.1 The impact of disability is significant. Aside from the enormous direct medical costs related to disability,2 which were estimated at $160 billion in 1994,3 medical problems have considerable personal and societal impact.
Medical costs account for more than 60% of all personal bankruptcies.4 and 5 Government and private payments to support employment-aged individuals Exoribonuclease with disabilities who do not have jobs are also estimated at $232 billion per year.6 These figures may rise with the aging of the U.S. population. With many demographic changes looming, it is important to understand the ongoing impact of disability. Quantifying the national burden of disability is integral to understanding its impact on society and can help direct clinical resources. In addition, given the increasingly limited funding for research, these data may help us direct rehabilitation research funds to specific areas. Toward this end, we have assessed 8 common disabling conditions that might be treated in an inpatient or outpatient rehabilitation setting. Our overall purpose was to (1) characterize the incidence, prevalence, and costs across 8 disabling conditions; and (2) compare the impact of disability attributable to these conditions on activity and work limitation.