Amanda James-Hammett was just 37 when she had a stroke while doing the dishes at home.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I heard a pop in my head, like a big bubble,\u00a0\u00bb she said.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I tried to scream, but it wasn’t a normal scream. I knew something wasn’t right.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Within hours, Amanda had lost the ability to speak and move her right arm. She would later have to relearn how to talk, read and carry out everyday tasks.<\/p>\n
Six years on, she has participated in a nationwide NHS trial testing a new \u00ab\u00a0at home\u00a0\u00bb device that it’s hoped could help stroke survivors regain hand and arm movement.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It’s about freedom,\u00a0\u00bb Amanda says. \u00ab\u00a0It’s given me my freedom back.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
The technology is being tested at 19 NHS sites across the UK, led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Sheffield.<\/p>\n
Researchers behind the \u00a32m study – known as the Triceps trial – say it is the largest trial of brain stimulation and stroke ever conducted. It aims to recruit around 270 people.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Stroke is an interruption to the blood supply to the brain,\u00a0\u00bb says Dr Sheharyar Baig, a neurologist at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0When the blood supply is interrupted, unfortunately the brain stops functioning in a certain area. That can lead to all manner of symptoms, from weakness to visual problems and speech problems.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Signs can include:<\/p>\n
People displaying any of these symptoms are advised to call 999.<\/p>\n
Dr Baig says stroke is \u00ab\u00a0the leading cause of adult-onset disability in the UK\u00a0\u00bb, affecting about 100,000 people a year.<\/p>\n
More than a million people living with its long term effects, he says.<\/p>\n
Around half of stroke survivors experience ongoing arm weakness, which can range from loss of dexterity to no movement at all.<\/p>\n
It can make everyday tasks such as dressing, cooking and working difficult.<\/p>\n
With a knock-on effect of adding to pressure on health and social care services, finding ways to help people shift their recovery from hospital to their own homes can be vital.<\/p>\n
Participants in the Triceps trial use a small electrical device that sits inside the ear and stimulates the vagus nerve – a major nerve connecting the brain and abdomen – while carrying out rehabilitation exercises.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0The recovery process is unfortunately quite slow for many people,\u00a0\u00bb Dr Baig says, adding it can involve lots of effort and hours of rehabilitation.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0So we’re interested in ways we can boost the effects of rehab and create a brain environment that’s more responsive to it.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Unlike earlier versions of vagus nerve stimulation, which required surgery to implant a device, this treatment is non-invasive and can be used at home.<\/p>\n
Dr Baig adds the pulses sent by the ear piece are set at a level to operate comfortably and without pain.<\/p>\n
Amanda used the device for up to an hour a day as part of her rehab over 12 weeks, combining it with exercises and everyday tasks.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0At first I didn’t think it was going to work at all,\u00a0\u00bb she says.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0But after a couple of weeks, I started to see changes in my hand.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
One of the biggest milestones for her was returning to sewing \u2013 a passion she could not initially pursue after her stroke.<\/p>\n
Amanda says she feels like \u00ab\u00a0a new woman\u00a0\u00bb now that she can cut material and use her sewing machine again.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I can put my socks on, I can do my shoes, I can do my house,\u00a0\u00bb she tells the BBC.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0I don’t have to wait for anyone else.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
So far, more than 200 people have taken part in the trial.<\/p>\n
While researchers do not yet know who is receiving active stimulation and who is receiving placebo, they say early signs are promising.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We have seen some wonderful improvements in people’s arm function,\u00a0\u00bb Dr Baig says.<\/p>\n
But he also stresses the treatment is not a cure, rather something they hope will help people in everyday life.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Somebody who was unable to carry a cup of tea with one arm can now walk from room to room holding it stably,\u00a0\u00bb he says.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Another person set their post-stroke personal best in a 5K run and noticed their arm function was better when they were running.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
The results of the Triceps trial are also being closely monitored by the Stroke Association, which is part-funding the research.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0The team are doing brain imaging and taking blood tests because we know that some stroke patients really respond well to this technology while some don’t,\u00a0\u00bb said Maeva May, the charity’s associate director of systems engagement.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0We want to understand what patients respond best and how.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
Dr Baig says if effective, the tech could be \u00ab\u00a0quite scalable\u00a0\u00bb because it is affordable, convenient and can be easily integrated into existing rehab services.<\/p>\n
For Amanda, the impact is already clear.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0It’s about being independent again,\u00a0\u00bb she says. \u00ab\u00a0Those small things make a big difference.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n
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Amanda James-Hammett was just 37 when she had a stroke while doing the dishes at home. \u00ab\u00a0I heard a pop in my head, like a big bubble,\u00a0\u00bb she said. \u00ab\u00a0I tried to scream, but it wasn’t a normal scream. I knew something wasn’t right.\u00a0\u00bb Within hours, Amanda had lost the ability to speak and move […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9790","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9790\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/placedesnations.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}