Authors: Lomovtsev Ilya Aleksandrovich, Tsvetkova Evgenia Mikhailovna, Gusakova Elena Viktorovna.
Background: Spasticity is a common consequence of stroke and in many cases leads to the patient's full dependence on the caregiver. Early treatment can significantly reduce the impairments and health limitations and thus enable the patient to manage daily activities. Botulinum toxin injections only eliminate undesirable manifestations of spasticity without leading to an improvement in the mobility of the limbs while conventional physiotherapy did not prove a direct effect in spasticity reduction. Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation represents a promising method for post-stroke spasticity reduction and the simultaneous enhancement of the patient's movement limitations.
Aim: The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the impact of peripheral magnetic stimulation in patients with spasticity of the upper limb after a cerebral stroke in the early recovery period.
Methods: Patients suffering from post-stroke spasticity were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Both groups underwent 10 sessions of a conventional physiotherapy program including gymnastics, massage, low-intensity magnets, whirlpool baths, limb development using the Amadeo stimulator, and biofeedback. The participants in the experimental group also underwent repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation within each session. Before the first and after the last treatment session, the Modified Ashworth scale, angles of spasticity defined by the Modified Tardieu scale, and the Arm Activity Measure questionnaire were obtained.
Results: Non-parametric Wilcoxon sign rank test confirmed a significant improvement in the Modified Ashworth scale, Arm Activity Measure, and angles of spasticity for both groups. The experimental group reported improvements of 36%, 15%, 24%, 6.6%, and 6.8% higher than the control group in terms of Modified Ashworth scale, Arm Activity Measure - section A, Arm Activity Measure - section B, angles of spasticity R1 and R2, respectively.
Conclusion: Repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation proved to be effective in upper limb spasticity reduction, enhancement in functionality during daily activities, and increase in range of motion in post-stroke patients in the early recovery phase.
View/Download pdf