Somatosensory Discrimination tests in stroke

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The development of lower limb somatosensory discrimination tests following stroke

• IRAS ID

  164490

• Contact name

  Terry Gorst

• Contact email

  terry.gorst@plymouth.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Plymouth

• Duration of Study in the UK

  0 years, 11 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  After a stroke people frequently report changes to their ability to feel the skin being touched (sensation) or joints being moved (proprioception). When those changes affect their feet and legs, it can have a major impact on how steady they feel on their feet or whilst walking, especially outdoors when the terrain can be varied.
  After a stroke, it is very rare for people to completely lose this ability with most people following stroke often reporting that they can feel the skin being touched or their joints being moved, but the foot or leg affected by stroke “doesn’t quite feel as sensitive as the other leg or foot”. Current tests of sensation mainly assess for detection ie. the ability to be able to tell when their foot or leg is being touched or moved. This means that many people score “normal” on these tests of sensation/proprioception, even when they are telling us “it doesn’t quite feel the same”.
  This objective of this study is to develop tests of sensation and movement in the foot and leg which are more sensitive than those currently used. The new tests will assess how accurately people can tell the difference, or discriminate between similar but different surfaces when they stand on them in barefeet. The four tests will assess the ability to: (1) discriminate the slope of the surface they are stood on, (2) the hardness of the surface, (3) the texture of the surface and (4) the height of the surface they are stepping onto. It is hoped these new tests will more accurately identify those people who have sensory and proprioceptive changes after stroke so their treatment can be designed around their individual needs.

• REC name

  South Central - Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  15/SC/0191

• Date of REC Opinion

  19 Mar 2015

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion