Immediate Effects of Dermatomal Electrical Stimulation on Task-Oriented Movements in Patients with Chronic Hemiplegia

Abstract

Abstract. [Purpose] This study was conducted to find out the immediate effects of dermatomal stimulation combined with functional tasks of the hand, and to determine whether it could be used as a modality for functional task training for chronic hemiplegic patients. [Subjects] Ten stroke patients with spasticity of the paretic finger flexors greater than or equal to G1 on the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), a Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) score greater than or equal to poor + , Brunnstrom stage higher or equal to stage 3, and stroke onset more than 12 months ago were recruited.[Methods] Subjects performed three given tasks (Box and Block test, Velcro pegboard, and stacking cones) in a random sequence with and without dermatomal electrical stimulation, which was applied to the C8 dermatome. Each task was repeated 6 times.[Results] The immediate effects of applying task-oriented movements combined with dermatomal electrical stimulation resulted in a significant improvement in hand function. [Conclusion] Electrical stimulation of the dermatomes combined with task-oriented movements has the potential to improve the hand functions of chronic hemiplegic patients.

Effects of task-oriented training on upper extremity function and performance of daily activities by chronic stroke patients

“…Also, task-oriented training had a positive effect on the affected upper extremity even though the subjects in this research were chronic stroke patients. This corresponds with the results of Kim’s research, in which electrical stimulation of the dermatomes combined with task-oriented movements was applied to chronic stroke patients and resulted in improvement of hand functions 9 ) . However, there was no improvement in subject two’s capacity for daily activity after the intervention in the present study.…”

Patterns in the collaboration of practitioners and researchers in the use of electrical stimulation to treat stroke patients: a literature review

“…Nevertheless, almost no rehabilitation therapists use ES in the clinical setting 4 ) . This gap is very common despite ES implementation having been recommended by many clinical studies 5 , 6 ) and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in several countries 7 , 8 , 9 ) .…”