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Evaluation of Respiratory Muscle Activation Using Respiratory Motor Control Assessment RMCA in Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury
Published on: July 19, 2013
Photobiomodulation improves motor response in patients with spinal cord injury submitted to electromyographic
Fernanda Cordeiro da Silva1, Andréa Oliver Gomes1, Paulo Roberto da Costa Palácio1
1Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences, Nove de Julho University (UNINOVE), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Abstract:
Photobiomodulation is a treatment that has been widely used in neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases. In the present study, low-level laser therapy was administered to patients with spinal cord injury. Twenty-five individuals were divided into two groups: placebo photobiomodulation plus physiotherapy and active photobiomodulation plus physiotherapy. Electromyographic evaluations were performed before and after 12 sessions of phototherapy as well as 30 days after the end of treatment. In the active phototherapy group, median frequency values of the brachial biceps and femoral quadriceps muscles were higher at rest and during isotonic contraction 30 days after photobiomodulation (p = 0.0258). No significant results were found regarding the rest and isotonic conditions in the pre-photobiomodulation period (p = 0.950) or immediately following photobiomodulation (p = 0.262). The data provide evidence that phototherapy improves motor responses in individuals with spinal cord injury, as demonstrated by differences in the EMG signal before and after treatment.
Trial Registration:
NCT 03031223.
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