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Published on: January 13, 2022
Feasibility of electromyography-triggered neuromuscular stimulation as an adjunct to constraint-induced movement
Stacy L Fritz1, Yi-Po Chiu, Matthew P Malcolm
1Department of Exercise Science, University of South Carolina, 1300 Wheat St, Blatt PE Bldg, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. sfritz@gwm.sc.edu
Background And Purpose:
The purpose of this case report is to explore the feasibility of electromyography-triggered neuromuscular stimulation (EMG-stim) as an adjunct to constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT).
Case Description:
The patient was a 72-year-old man, 10 years poststroke, who did not meet traditional CIMT criteria. The EMG-stim was applied to the wrist extensors of the patient's weaker arm for one half of the CIMT training hours.
Outcomes:
The intervention was feasible for this individual. Improvements were observed in motor behavior, quality and amount of use, muscle activity, wrist range of motion, and reaction time of the more-affected extremity. These improvements were paralleled by a change in the size and location of the extensor digitorum communis muscle representation in the primary motor cortex, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping.
Discussion:
These changes suggest that using EMG-stim as an adjunct to CIMT should be further investigated in individuals who have low functional abilities following stroke.
