Somatosensory Stimulation for Unilateral Neglect Post Stroke (SSUN)

Plain-language summary

The Intervention, called Mobilization and tactile Stimulation (MTS for short) is a hands-on physical therapy technique that can be used to treat the arm and hand after a stroke. It includes joint movements, massage, and sensory input like touch and compression. MTS is part of routine therapy for stroke patients when people cannot move or feel their arm normally. It may help with problems like neglect, which is when people are not aware of one side of their body after their stroke. The effectiveness of MTS to help people with neglect has not been widely studied yet. the investigators plan to invite adult stroke patients (18 years and over) with signs of neglect, who are more than 20 weeks post-stroke to be part of this study. They must be willing to have regular therapy at home, and each participant will need to have a carer who can assist with the research. Participants will be in the study for approximately three months. In the first two weeks they will not receive the MTS treatment but will have some regular measures undertaken (see details below). This is called the baseline Phase A stage. Then they move to Phase B where the investigators will deliver MTS therapy for 45-60 minutes, five days a week for six weeks. This is the treatment phase, known as Phase B. The regular measures will also continue during Phase B. Once the six weeks of MTS treatment is completed there is a final stage for two weeks (also known as Phase A because there is no treatment delivered). This is the withdrawal phase. The regular measures will continue during this phase. To see if the MTS has any impact on the stroke survivors the investigators will take regular measurements. The investigators will be using three different assessments for neglect. * The Letter Cancellation Test. The investigators will ask participants to cross out target letters from a sheet with various letters on it. * The Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS). This is a 10-item checklist where a therapist or carer observes daily activities and scores the stroke survivor doing everyday activities e.g., brushing your hair and eating. * The Fluff Test. In this test participants will be blindfolded and then asked to remove stickers from their body using their non-affected hand. During the study, participants will be assessed by a research therapist twice a week using the three tests. Carers will be trained to use the CBS and will also conduct daily assessments. After the 10 weeks is completed, the participant will be invited to share your experiences with us in an interview. This will help us understand better whether anything has changed because of being in this study. MTS is commonly used in clinical practice and has a low risk of side effects. There is a small risk of overuse syndrome, which can cause arm discomfort, but this can be managed by adjusting the therapy. While the investigators cannot guarantee direct benefits to participants, clinicians that investigators spoke to told us they thought the extra treatment could be beneficial for stroke survivors.

Who can participate

What they're measuring

Trial details