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The tendency of persons with hemiplegia to sit for prolonged periods can cause excessive interface pressure (IP) on their buttocks. Due to the different neuromusculoskeletal conditions, different buttock IP relief methods are required for persons with left hemiplegia (LH) and right hemiplegia (RH). Therefore, this study investigates temporal characteristics of IP on the right and left buttocks for RH, LH, and able-bodied individuals (AB) sitting in a wheelchair for 30 min. Thirty-five males participated in the study: 13 LH, 12 RH, and 10 AB. In the initial adjustment phase, the participants maintained an erect sitting posture for 7 min (2 min for posture and 5 min for creep adjustments). After the adjustments, experiments were conducted for 30 min to measure the IP. In the experiments, significant right-sided asymmetries of the mean IP were found for each group (P < 0.05). The right buttocks of LH exhibited significantly more right-sided asymmetry of the mean IP than that of AB (p < 0.01). Moreover, the right buttocks of RH exhibited insignificant asymmetry of the mean IP compared to that of AB (p >0.21). The peak IPs of RH and LH were significantly higher than those of AB (p <0.05), and temporal changes of the mean and peak IP of hemiplegia were significant (p <0.05) and not significant (p >0.05), respectively. The RH exhibited affected-side weight-bearing based on the mean IP. In contrast, the LH relieved the mean IP on the affected-side buttock. Due to the right-sided asymmetric mean and high peak IP, hemiplegia in acute and recovery stages using wheelchairs can cause ulceration. Therefore, different rehabilitation approaches are required for the RH and LH to reduce the peak IP and avoid an uneven distribution of the mean IP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess factors affecting electrophysiological changes in the peripheral nervous system below the neurologic level of injury (NLI) in patients with subacute spinal cord injury (SCI). Retrospective observational study. An inpatient rehabilitation center of a university hospital. Through reviewing the medical records of 151 subjects with SCI, 42 without any other disease inducing peripheral neurologic abnormalities were included. They were classified into 2 groups, with or without denervation potentials in electromyography (EMG) below NLI. Not applicable. Demographics and clinical characteristics including NLI, American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS), and Lower Extremity Motor Score were compared. Results of electrophysiological study including nerve conduction study, somatosensory-evoked potential (SSEP), and motor-evoked potential (MEP) were compared. Denervation potentials in EMG below NLI were observed in 20 subjects, and 10 of them were AIS A or B, but there was none in subjects without denervation potentials (P <.001). The lower extremity motor score was 4.35±7.74 in the group with denervation potentials, lower than 33.64±13.60 of the opposite group (P <.001). In the analysis of electrophysiological study, patients with denervation potentials showed a higher proportion of no response than patients without denervation potentials (60.0% vs 11.4% in peroneal nerve conduction study, 35.0% vs 2.3% in tibial nerve conduction study, 80.0% vs 18.2% in SSEP, 87.5% vs 22.7% in MEP; P <.001, respectively). Additionally, greater axonal loss, based on decrease of amplitude without delayed latency on nerve conduction study, was observed in the group with denervation potentials than the opposite group (P <.001). Among subjects with subacute SCI, cases of peripheral nervous dysfunction below the injury site occur, possibly associated with the severity of SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]