2.5. Functional and Somatosensory Outcomes
neuropathic diseases
SENSORY DISORDERS, PBC, BEND
In our protocol, the subject was subjected weekly, and at the end of the training period, to functional and somatosensory assessments by the same evaluator. For function evaluation, we used the following metrics: Fugl-Meyer [We also used the Semmes Weinstein Monofilaments to evaluate the subject’s sensitivity to crude to fine touch in the dermatomes. This type of test is considered an easy-to-use and inexpensive touch threshold test, and it is generally used by clinicians to evaluate sensory disorders in neuropathic diseases. This test is carried out using flexible nylon monofilaments of equal length with different diameters; the thicker the filament becomes, the more pressure is necessary to bend the filament. These filaments are labeled to give a linear scale of perceived intensity, with weights ranging between 0.2 and 300 g [All functional parameters of this study produced quantitative variables, whose comparison in the same subject in different situations was performed using the Friedman test in the R Studio (Version 2022.12.0.0 Posit Software, PBC, USA), Version 19.1.3, with an adjusted level of significance at 0.05. Post hoc comparisons using Bonferroni correction were used to indicate the mean score for different conditions.The Friedman test was chosen because of its non-parametric nature, applicability to related samples, tolerance for ordinal data, and robustness to outliers. All these requirements are aligned with the characteristics of single-subject designs. In our study, we collected data from the same patient under various conditions, often on an ordinal scale. This test also provides the flexibility to perform post hoc tests for pair-wise comparisons when significant differences are detected, enabling one to pinpoint where these differences exist.