VAF should be considered in the rehabilitation of lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunctions .
However , it can not be unequivocally confirmed that VAF is effective in this population , owing to study heterogeneity and a lack of high- quality evidence .
Nevertheless , positive effects on lower extremity biomechanics and postural control have been identified .
BACKGROUND Verbal augmented feedback ( VAF ) is commonly used in physiotherapy rehabilitation of individuals with lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunction or to induce motor learning for injury prevention .
Its effectiveness for acquisition , retention and transfer of learning of new skills in this population is unknown .
OBJECTIVES First , to investigate the effect of VAF for rehabilitation and prevention of lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunction .
Second , to determine its effect on motor learning and the stages of acquisition , retention and transfer in this population .
Attentional focus of feedback for improving performance of reach-to-grasp after stroke: a randomised crossover study.
OBJECTIVE To investigate whether feedback inducing an external focus ( EF ) of attention ( about movement effects ) was more effective for retraining reach-to-grasp after stroke compared with feedback inducing an internal focus ( IF ) of attention ( about body movement ) . It was predicted that inducing an EF of attention would be more beneficial to motor performance . DESIGN Crossover trial where participants were assigned at r and om to two feedback order groups : IF followed by EF or EF followed by IF . SETTING Research laboratory . PARTICIPANTS Forty-two people with upper limb impairment after stroke . INTERVENTION Participants performed three reaching tasks : ( A ) reaching to grasp a jar ; ( B ) placing a jar forwards on to a table ; and ( C ) placing a jar on to a shelf . Ninety-six reaches were performed in total over one training session . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Kinematic measures were collected using motion analysis . Primary outcome measures were movement duration , peak velocity of the wrist , size of peak aperture and peak elbow extension . RESULTS Feedback inducing an EF of attention produced shorter movement duration s { first feedback order group : IF mean 2.53 seconds [ st and ard deviation ( SD ) 1.85 ] ; EF mean 2.12 seconds ( SD 1.63 ) , mean difference 0.41 seconds ; 95 % confidence interval -0.68 to 1.5 ; P=0.008 } , an increased percentage time to peak deceleration ( P=0.01 ) when performing Task B , and an increased percentage time to peak velocity ( P=0.039 ) when performing Task A compared with feedback inducing an IF of attention . However , an order effect was present whereby performance was improved if an EF of attention was preceded by an IF of attention . CONCLUSIONS Feedback inducing an EF of attention may be of some benefit for improving motor performance of reaching in people with stroke in the short term ; however , these results should be interpreted with caution . Further research using a r and omised design is recommended to enable effects on motor learning to be assessed
VAF should be considered in the rehabilitation of lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunctions .
However , it can not be unequivocally confirmed that VAF is effective in this population , owing to study heterogeneity and a lack of high- quality evidence .
Nevertheless , positive effects on lower extremity biomechanics and postural control have been identified .
BACKGROUND Verbal augmented feedback ( VAF ) is commonly used in physiotherapy rehabilitation of individuals with lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunction or to induce motor learning for injury prevention .
Its effectiveness for acquisition , retention and transfer of learning of new skills in this population is unknown .
OBJECTIVES First , to investigate the effect of VAF for rehabilitation and prevention of lower extremity musculoskeletal dysfunction .
Second , to determine its effect on motor learning and the stages of acquisition , retention and transfer in this population .