Stroke Assessment Flashcards
What are some ways to elicit a contraction?
- Start proximal then move distally
- Try at different muscle lengths
- Try eccentric before concentric
How would you assess pain/sharp blunt sensation?
Pinprick test
What test is used to assess light touch sensation?
Test with cotton wool
What test is used to test for proprioception sensation?
Dynamic: move one joint and ask if patient can feel movement (ask if joint is bending or straight)
Static: ask patient to close eyes and copy position of limb held by examiner with the other normal side
What test is used for stereognosis sensation?
Do not show patient testing objects, they need reasonable light touch, proprioception and finger movement to perform this test. Test ability to recognise objects of different size, shape and texture by feel
What test is used for 2 point discrimination?
Test ability to distinguish between one point of contact or two
What test is used for grapheseology?
Test ability to identify alphabet/number by light touch when traced by examiners finger on the skin
What test is used for double simultaneous stimulation?
Touch the same place on both sides simultaneously and see if patient can feel both or just one
What is clonus a sign of and how can you test it?
It is a sign of UMN disease, it can be tested by rapidly dorsiflexing the foot
What is the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS)?
Measures spasticity/tone through passive range of motion/stretch
Resistance felt when passively stretching a muscle
What does the Tardieu Scale measure?
It measures spasticity with three different velocity of stretch
- V1: as slow as possible
- V2: speed of the limb segment falling under gravity
- V3: as fast as possible
What is the acuity test?
Vision test, read letters
What are the 3 eye movement tests?
- Smooth pursuit (ask patient to follow pen with eyes across field of vision - how smooth eyeballs can move together)
- Convergence/divergence (focus/unfocused eye)
- Saccades (wiggle finger and change quick observe for eyes moving quickly)
How would you assess for visual field loss/hemianopia?
Ask patient to cover one eye and ask them to look at nose and ask them which finger is wriggling
List 9 basic tests for coordination
- Finger to nose
- Pronation/supination
- Hand tapping
- Finger strumming
- Heel/knee/shin slides
- Alternate hip and knee flexion
- Supine cycling of legs
- Alternate hip flexion - sitting
- Foot tapping
