Abstract: Everyday activities can be affected by many different body
dysfunctions (impairments). A multi-modal analysis of electric brain activity
revealed that movement-related brain activity is differentially altered in
patients with different impairments, i.e. paresis, somatosensory deficits, and
apraxia. Each body dysfunction has its own characteristics in terms of the
resulting sensorimotor control deficits. The Impairment-oriented Training
concept intends to characterise the resulting sensorimotor control deficits for
each impairment. Based on such analyses two specific training techniques have
been developed for stroke patients with mild and severe arm paresis: (1.) The
Arm Ability training for mild arm paresis trains different sensorimotor
abilities such as dexterity, speed of isolated hand and finger movements,
steadiness, aiming, or tracking under visual guidance. Improvement of these
motor abilities leads to improved motor performance in every day life
circumstances. (2.) The Arm BASI S training for severe arm paresis intends to
restore more basic motor control, i.e. the full range of active non-segmented
motion of all limb segments, both postural activities and dynamic motion
control, interjoint-coordination, and adequate motor control when external
forces are applied. Clinical trials with representative study populations
supported both techniques' clinical efficacy.
