Infographics

Early phase dose articulation trials are underutilized for post-stroke motor recovery



Multidimensional Phase I Dose Ranging Trials for Stroke Recovery Interventions


Timing and dose of upper limb intervention after stroke: A systematic review

Factors associated with time to independent walking recovery post-stroke

Kipling's Six Honest Serving Men in upper limb rehabilitation

Blog | Welcome to the REPAIR Group by Kate Hayward

Firstly, welcome to the REPAIR research group webpage. We are an interdisciplinary group (ie physiotherapists, occupational therapists and beyond with our collaborators) conducting research in Melbourne Australia. We are focused on stroke recovery and rehabilitation. In this first Note, I want to talk about one of my core areas of research; severe upper limb impairment after stroke.

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Our arms and hands are key to what we do and how we do it. So imagine having a stroke and losing capacity to use the tool that defines you! A staggering 7 out of 10 stroke survivors have arm and hand difficulties early after stroke - of which 3 have severe difficulties. This group of individuals, that currently represent a critically neglected group of stroke survivors, are a large focus of the REPAIR Research Group work.

People with severe difficulties have the scope to make the largest change during rehabilitation. However, we do not know how to optimally facilitate such recovery. This means there are lots of research gaps to fill. I will speak to two that we are working on in the REPAIR group. Firstly, we want to understand who recovers, who does not recover, and why, by building an understanding of the trajectory of arm and hand recovery after stroke (deciphering arm+hand recovery research study). By looking at factors related to the brain, captured with MRI, we aim to build unique insights into the dynamic capacity of the brain after stroke. Secondly, we are interested in the development of novel rehabilitation approaches that can harness an individual’s potential for arm recovery, especially focusing on the early period after stroke (VESPUR research study). By starting early and offering intensive rehabilitation opportunities, we hope to accelerate stroke recovery beyond what has previously been considered possible.

Why do we focus on severe stroke? As a clinician, I have seen people with severe difficulties go on to achieve important recovery gains. They turn up to rehabilitation day-in-and-day-out with a focus to achieve meaningful recovery, whether that be playing golf or washing their arm independently. This fuels my passion to tackle the severe stroke challenge.

I would like the work done by the REPAIR research group to be a catalyst for change that builds renewed hope for a better pathway to achievement of optimal recovery for individuals with severe difficulty moving their arm and hand after stroke. I would like to see more individuals be given the opportunity to participate in rehabilitation that allows them to exploit whatever movement they may have available to them to achieve their recovery goals. I want to challenge the status-quo for better stroke recovery research.

KH.