In a nutshell
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of electrical nerve stimulation (ESS) in the recovery of arm function early after stroke. The main finding was that ESS had the same results as arm training alone.
Some background
Up to a third of patients have arm weakness after stroke. Rehabilitation is a central part of stroke management. Without it, the lack of independence can lead to depression and further medical problems.
ESS involves placing conductor stickers on the skin and stimulating the nerves in the arm by electrical impulses sent through the stickers. This is thought to increase the nerves firing in the brain. It is unknown whether delivering ESS before arm training is better than arm training alone in stroke recovery.
Methods & findings
This study included 102 patients with arm weakness after a stroke. Patients were randomized to receive either 1-hour ESS (53 patients) or placebo ESS (no nerve stimulation; 49 patients) daily while in hospital. All patients also got the standard task-orientated arm training for 15 minutes a day as part of usual rehabilitation.
After 6 months, there were no differences in arm function, hand strength, dexterity or pain in the arm between groups. Side effects to the ESS were reported in 1 patient in each group. These were allergic reactions to the stickers that improved after using allergy-friendly stickers.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that ESS and arm training was just as effective as arm training alone in improving arm weakness after stroke.
The fine print
This study was only carried out on patients with a mild-moderate stroke and moderate arm impairment. It is not known if the results would be the same for more severe impairment.
Published By :
Neurorehabilitation and neural repair
Date :
Sep 25, 2018
