Article

There has been an increasing research interest in upper limb
rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis (MS). The current changes in the research
field inquire a new literature review. Objective -
This systematic review aimed to
provide an overview of the upper limb rehabilitation strategies in people with MS
(PwMS). Methods Articles published in PubMed and Web of Knowledge were selected
when written in English, published in the past 25 years, peer reviewed, that
included at least 5 PwMS, and described the effects of an intervention study
including rehabilitation strategies targeting the upper limbs. Included articles
were screened based on title/abstract and full text by 2 independent reviewers.
Results Thirty articles met the criteria and were included for data extraction.
Only half of the included studies investigated the effects of a training program
specially targeted toward the upper limbs, while in the other studies, a general
whole body therapy was used. The therapy content and dosage varied greatly
between the different included studies. Multidisciplinary and robot-based
rehabilitation were the most investigated rehabilitation strategies and showed to
improve upper limb capacity. Strength and endurance training improved the upper
limb body functions and structures but did not influence the upper limb capacity
and performance. Conclusions The results of this systematic review indicated that
different types of upper limb rehabilitation strategies can improve upper limb
function in PwMS. Further research is necessary to compare directly the effects
of different rehabilitation strategies and to investigate the optimal therapy
dosage according to the upper limb disability level.
CI - (c) The Author(s) 2016.

Langue : ANGLAIS