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Motor Compensation During Lower Limb Pedaling After Stroke, Brice Thomas Cleland

Dissertations (1934 -)

Long-term motor dysfunction in the lower limb is common after stroke. One potential contributor is motor compensation, a behavior in which functions originally performed by the paretic limb are performed by the non-paretic limb. Compensation in chronic stroke may contribute to long-term motor dysfunction by limiting functional ability, impairing future recovery, and eliciting maladaptive neuroplasticity. The purpose of this dissertation was to describe the impact of compensation on motor function and brain activation during lower limb pedaling and identify elements that produce this behavior. To achieve this purpose, we evaluated muscle activation and motor performance when compensation was prevented. During …