EFFECTS OF WRIST WEIGHING IN REDUCING UPPER LIMB TREMORS IN PATIENTS WITH CEREBELLAR LESIONS

Background: An intentional tremor is one of the most untreated causes in patients with cerebellar ataxia. Upper limb tremors decreases the performance of many activities of daily life Thus treatment of patients with tremor probably implies better functional ability. It is one of the major areas of concern to improve functional independence hence, this study proposed to know the effects of wrist weighing in reducing upper limb tremors in cerebellar injury patients. Materials and Methods: A total number of 21 patients with various abnormalities of cerebellum were selected depending on selection criteria. These patients were randomly divided into two groups. One group was treated with wrist weighing by using Velcro weight cuffs for 15 minutes along with conventional physiotherapy for 5 days a week for 2 months & other group is treated with conventional physiotherapy for 5 days in a week for 2 months. The objectives were tested by using tremor rating scale and nine hole peg test. The values are collected before and after the treatment Results: In the group treated with wrist weighing the improvement in the tremor rating scale is very significant (p: 0.0001) and in nine hole peg test is extremely significant (p: 0.0001). In conventional therapy group the improvement in the tremor rating scale is not significant (p: 0.0051) and in nine hole peg test is very significant (p: 0.0002). Conclusion: Incorporation of wrist weighing along with conventional therapy reduced the intensity of upper limb tremors in patients with cerebellar injuries but both the treatments are effective in improving upper limb functions.