Studies on the rehabilitation of ataxic patients are rare, especially after stroke. Now Prof. Stefan Kiechl, CSO of VASCage and Director of the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of Innsbruck, coordinates a clinical trial on ataxia after stroke. The study is taking place at the University Hospital of Innsbruck and at the Tyrolean rehabilitation centres Hochzirl-Natters and Münster. The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of coordinative training on balance and walking ability compared to a control group receiving standard physiotherapy. It is conducted by VASCage researcher and physiotherapist Patricia Brugnara, MSc, in cooperation with the VASCage company partners Medalp and Tyromotion. VASCAge manages and supports the conduct of national and international clinical trials for academia and industry.
Strokes occur with an incidence of 25,000 per year in Austria. Fourteen percent of them suffer from disturbance of balance and coordination. This leads to exceedingly uncontrolled, swaying movements and increases the risk of falls. Usually stroke patients are treated with standard physiotherapy which focuses primarily on exercises of daily living, core strengthening, static balance and overground walking exercises. Coordinative training however focuses on the dynamic aspects and the swaying movements as well as on falls prevention training. Former studies on coordinative training have been conducted in patients with other types of ataxia with promising results.
The study GLAAS II (Therapie des Gleichgewichts und der Lokomotion von Patienten/innen mit Ataxie nach akutem Schlaganfall) is a randomised, controlled, single-blinded trial with a planned sample size of 80 patients.
More information on GLAAS II (DRKS00020825) at the German Clinical Trials Register https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00020825