Immediate Effect of Sensory Level Stimulation on Spasticity in Patients with Post-stroke Hemiplegia

Spasticity is one of the impairments in patients with stroke which cause more disability and secondary problems. Now, there are some ways to reduce spasticity such as drugs, exercise, heat, massage, and sensory level electrical stimulation. This study assessed the immediate effect of sensory level stimulation on spasticity in plantar flexor muscles in patients with post-stroke hemiplegia.
In this study, 10 patients received 10 sessions of treatment. Protocol was 30 minutes electrical stimulation and 30 minutes proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation techniques to improve initiation and controlling of movement. Level of the spasticity was measured carefully before and after the stimulation using Modified Ashworth scale.
Findings: Electrical stimulation reduced the spasticity in two women and one man. Stimulation had not effect on seven patients. Electrical stimulation had not effect on grades one and three spasticity; it had effect on grades one-plus and two but not in all of the patients. The stimulation had effect on patients with good cognition who did their exercises carefully.
Sensory level electrical stimulation has temporary effect only on middle-grade spasticity in middle exercise sessions. There is not any effect in next session and efficacy of stimulation reduces and stops. This electrical stimulation cannot disappear the spasticity and does not have any effect on high-grade spasticity.