Article

Motor dysfunction after stroke might be improved by neuromuscular
electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic
stimulation (rTMS) in patients with moderate and severe motor dysfunction.
OBJECTIVE: This preliminary study tested the effect of this treatment
combination. METHODS: Fifteen patients (60.5 +/- 10.3 years old) participated in
the study. All patients had been affected by cerebral artery infarction or
hemorrhage and had moderate or severe motor dysfunction in their affected hand.
The patients received NMES at paretic wrist extensor muscles combined with rTMS
over the unaffected M1 hemisphere twice a day, six days/week over two weeks. All
participants underwent the following battery of tests to evaluate the motor
function of the affected hand: Upper limb Fugl-Meyer Assessment (UFMA), Wolf
Motor Function Test (WMFT), and Box and Block Test (BBT). RESULTS: UFMA, WMFT,
and BBT scores improved significantly after the study. CONCLUSIONS: These results
suggest that NMES combined with rTMS could be useful for recovery of moderate and
severe motor function after stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS