Reducing fatigue through manipulation of chopsticks in a patient suffering from ideomotor apraxia: A case study

Abstract

A case of higher brain dysfunction including apraxia and motor paralysis caused by cerebral infarction complained of fatigue while manipulating chopsticks during mealtime. OT evaluation and movement characteristics indicated that due to the pathological condition, the patient was unable to grasp the chopsticks appropriately, leading to strenuous chopstick manipulation, an inability to recognize and correct errors in movement, and increased fatigue. OT intervention included helping the patient establish an optimal chopstick grasping form through replacing the somatosensory information with the patient's own movement and constructing the grasping form by looking at the object. As a result, the grasping form of the chopsticks imagined by the patient was established, and the fatigue of chopstick manipulation during mealtime was reduced.