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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

A Murine Model of Muscle Training by Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation
Published on: May 9, 2012
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation for Accessory Respiratory Muscles Training in Patients After Ischemic
Lucyna Slupska1, Tomasz Halski1, Małgorzata Żytkiewicz1
1Department of Physiotherapy, Opole Medical School, Opole, Poland.
Abstract:
This study focused on how pulmonary function is affected by proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) of accessory respiratory muscles in the chronic post-stroke phase. The study involved patients who had had ischemic stroke 6 months or more before the PNF treatment investigated. The objective was to define the effect of PNF on bioelectrical resting and maximum activity of the accessory muscles. Patients were randomly assigned to PNF treatment and just positioning treatment as a reference for comparison; 30 patients each. Electromyography of accessory muscles was investigated before and after physiotherapeutic treatments. We found that there was a greater reduction in EMG activity in all muscles investigated after PNF compared to positioning treatment alone. A reduction of muscle activity due to PNF concerned both affected and unaffected body side, but it was greater on the affected side. We conclude that a reduction of the accessory respiratory muscle activity due to PNF treatment could be of benefit in chronic stoke patients in that it would help normalize breathing pattern and thereby prevent the development of hypoxia.
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