Validating a New Writer s Cramp Scale
Completed
Conditions studied: Dystonia
In brief
Background: \- People with writer s cramp develop tightness in arm muscles and abnormal hand posture when writing, which makes writing difficult or impossible. At present, there is no suitable rating scale to measure the symptoms of or disability associated with writer s cramp. Researchers want to videotape people performing simple writing tasks. They will then compare the performance of people with writer s cramp on these tasks to those of people without writer s cramp. This information will help develop a rating scale to evaluate writer s cramp. Objectives: \- To develop a new rating scale for writer s cramp. Eligibility: \- Individuals at least 18 years of age who have writer s cramp. Design: * Participants will be screened with a physical exam and medical history. * Participants will have one outpatient study visit that will last about 3 hours. * Participants will perform tasks related to writing, such as writing passages and drawing spirals and loops. They will be videotaped during these tasks. They will repeat some of the writing tasks three more times; on paper attached to a writing tablet, directly on the writing tablet, and on a computer tablet. * The angles made by the joints will be measured at rest not while writing healthy volunteers.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT01579266
- Run by
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
- People needed
- 16
- Starts
- 2012-03-21
- Expected to finish
- 2016-10-25
- Last updated by the study team
- 2019-10-22
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 99. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.
You may not qualify if…
- Patients with WC:
- Botulinum toxin (BTX) administration within 3 months of participation.
- Unable to provide consent.
- Patients taking oral medications for WC including muscle relaxants or other centrally-active medications such as antidepressants which may enhance tremors.
- Medical conditions that affect hand function, such as stroke, nerve entrapment, tremor, parkinsonism, chorea, ataxia affecting the dominant hand.
- HVs:
- Unable to provide consent.
- Healthy volunteers taking oral medications that may affect motor function such as muscle relaxants or centrally-active medications including medications for psychiatric conditions like antidepressants and antipsychotics.
- Healthy volunteers with abnormal hand function including medical conditions that may influence hand function, e.g., strokes, nerve entrapments, tremor, parkinsonism, chorea, ataxia and psychiatric conditions (such as psychosis and depression) affecting the dominant hand.
- Have history of hand surgery and or hand trauma.
- Have abnormal findings on medical history and physical exam.
Where it is running
- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike — Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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