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A prospective study with subjective evaluation of shoulder pain and objective evaluation of shoulder muscle strength by isokinetic testing and electromyographic and electroneurographic studies of spinal accessory nerve function was performed on patients who had undergone neck dissection procedures. Twenty-one patients with head and neck cancer were enrolled in this study. Three types of neck dissection were performed: 7 selective neck dissections, 9 modified radical neck dissections, and 5 radical neck dissections. All patients who underwent radical neck dissection had shoulder pain, and 80% of them had shoulder droop after the operation. In the patients who underwent selective neck dissection, the electromyographic findings of the spinal accessory nerve were relatively normal. Their shoulder strength was sometimes decreased at I month after operation, but it had returned to preoperative strength by the 6-month follow-up visit. These findings suggested that patients who underwent selective neck dissection had the least damage to spinal accessory nerve function and the least shoulder disability after neck dissection.

Stroke patients who exhibited no or low-amplitude muscle activity in the tibialis anterior, associated with premature or excessive activation of the soleus muscle in their hemiplegic limbs, when rising from a chair were prone to falling. The compensatory excessive tibialis anterior and quadriceps muscle activation in the unaffected limbs of stroke patients might have a role in preventing them from falling.

Selective control of the proximal lower limb may be the main determinant of walking velocity. The compensatory adaptations were similar, except for pelvic motion, in stroke patients with different levels of motor recovery, whereas the poor group walked with synergistic mass patterns and reduced stability.

Visual feedback rhythmic weight-shift training may improve dynamic balance function for hemiplegic stroke patients. The effects of training may be sustained for six months. The occurrence of falls decreased in the training group, but not statistically significantly.

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To assess the efficacy of electrical acupuncture in the rehabilitation of patients with hemiplegia in stroke, we randomized 128 patients within 2 wk of stroke onset to receive either comprehensive rehabilitation plus electrical acupuncture (n = 59) or comprehensive rehabilitation only (n = 59). Electrical acupuncture was administered by electrical stimulation of acupuncture points through adhesive surface electrodes five times per week. Neurological status (Brunnstrom's stage) and the Chinese version of the Functional Independence Measure were assessed before treatment and at discharge. Patients treated with electrical acupuncture had a shorter duration of hospital stay for rehabilitation and better neurological and functional outcomes than the control group had, with a significant difference in scores for self-care and locomotion (P = 0.02). This result did not postulate the previous study that acupuncture therapy for stroke patients should depend on needle manual and "de qi" response. We suggest that electrical acupuncture through adhesive surface electrodes in conjunction with current optimal rehabilitation programs is a convenient and effective therapy for stroke patients.