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The effects of electromyography-triggered electrical stimulation on shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, pain,
Somyung Jeon1, Young Kim1, Kyoungsim Jung1
1Department of Physical Therapy, The Graduate School, Sahmyook University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation for shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, pain and upper extremity function in hemiparetic stroke patients.
Methods:
Twenty participants with subacute hemiparetic stroke were recruited for this study and were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Subjects in the experimental group participated in task-oriented electromyography triggered stimulation for 30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks, whereas the control group received cyclic functional electrical stimulation for 30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks. Subjects in both groups received conventional physical therapy for four weeks (30 min/day, five times/week). Data collected included the degree of shoulder subluxation which had been confirmed by X-ray, muscle activation of the supraspinatus and posterior deltoid muscles by electromyography, pain by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and hand function by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) before and after the four week exercise period.
Results:
The results showed significant improvement in shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, and VAS results in the experimental group, compared with the control group(p < 0.05). FMA scores showed no significant differences between the two groups.
Conclusions:
In conclusion, task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation improved shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, pain and upper extremity function. These results suggest that task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation is effective and beneficial for individuals with subacute stroke, and that further studies should be conducted on multivarious anatomical regions.
