Does the Wartenberg pendulum test differentiate quantitatively between spasticity and rigidity? A study in elderly stroke and Parkinsonian patients

R. A. Brown, Dorothy A. Lawson, G. C. Leslie, Alison Macarthur, W. J. Maclennan, Marion E.T. Mcmurdo, W. J. Mutch, N. J. Part

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52 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The results of applying the Wartenberg pendulum test to the assessment of muscle tone in populations of stroke and Parkinsonian patients are described. The test was able to distinguish between increased muscle tone of the spastic or rigid type. The Parkinsonian patients showed a marked reduction of the maximum velocity of the leg swing, with the relaxation index tending to a value of about one. In contrast the affected limb of stroke patients showed a lesser reduction of the velocity of the swing, the relaxation index tending to a value of less than one.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1178-1186
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry
Volume51
Issue number9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 1988

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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