scholarly journals Effectiveness of Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and Visual Feedback Balance Training on Lower Limb Post-Stroke Spasticity, Trunk Performance, and Balance: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 147
Author(s):  
Emanuela Elena Mihai ◽  
Ilie Valentin Mihai ◽  
Mihai Berteanu

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of disability in adults, and lower limb spasticity, affected stance, and balance impact everyday life and activities of such patients. Robotic therapy and assessment are becoming important tools to clinical evaluation for post-stroke rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to determine in a more objective manner the effects of visual feedback balance training through a balance trainer system and radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT), along with conventional physiotherapy, on lower limb post-stroke spasticity, trunk control, and static and dynamic balance through clinical and stabilometric assessment. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. The experimental group underwent conventional physiotherapy, visual feedback balance training, and rESWT. The control group underwent conventional physiotherapy, visual feedback training and sham rESWT. The statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Software and MATLAB. Primary clinical outcome measures were The Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), passive range of motion (PROM), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and Clonus score. Secondary outcome measures were trunk performance, sensorimotor, and lower limb function. Stabilometric outcome measures were trunk control, static balance, and dynamic balance. Visual feedback training using the Prokin system and rESWT intervention, along with conventional physiotherapy, yielded statistically significant improvement both on clinical and stabilometric outcome measures, enhancing static and dynamic balance, trunk performance, sensorimotor outcome, and limb function and considerably diminishing lower limb spasticity, pain intensity, and clonus score in the experimental group.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Emanuela Elena Mihai ◽  
Luminita Dumitru ◽  
Ilie Valentin Mihai ◽  
Mihai Berteanu

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the long-term efficacy of Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) on reducing lower limb post-stroke spasticity in adults. A systematic electronic search of PubMed/ MEDLINE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE(R), and search engine of Google Scholar was performed. Publications that ranged from January 2010 to August 2020, published in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian language and available as full texts were eligible for inclusion and they were searched without any restrictions of country. The study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and followed the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Two authors screened the references, extracted data, and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcome was spasticity grade mainly assessed by the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Secondary outcomes were passive range of motion (PROM), pain intensity, electrophysiological parameters, gait assessment, and adverse events. A total of seven recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, and a beneficial effect on spasticity was found. The high level of evidence presented in this paper showed that ESWT ameliorates spasticity considering the parameters: MAS: standardized mean difference (SMD) = 0.53; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): (0.07–0.99); Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS): SMD = 0.56; 95% CI: (0.01–1.12); Visual Analogue Scale (VAS): SMD = 0.35; 95% CI: (−0.21–0.91); PROM: SMD = 0.69; 95% CI: (0.20–1.19). ESWT presented long-term efficacy on lower limb post-stroke spasticity, reduced pain intensity, and increased range of motion. The effect of this novel and non-invasive therapy was significant and the intervention did not present adverse events, proving a satisfactory safety profile.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Fan ◽  
Xiangying Zhou ◽  
Peichen He ◽  
Xiaojia Zhan ◽  
Peng Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Flexor Spasticity of the Upper Limb is common in post-stroke patients and seriously affects the recovery of upper limb function. However, there are no standard management protocols for this condition. Radial extracorporeal shock wave therapy (rESWT) is widely used as a non-invasive treatment method for various diseases, but its efficacy in reducing spasticity remains undefined. Methods/design: A prospective, randomized, double-blind controlled trial is to be performed to study the efficacy of rESWT on the treatment of upper limb spasticity after strokes. One hundred participants will be recruited from the Inpatient department of Zhujiang hospital for this study. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be randomly allocated to either receive 3 sessions of active rESWT (Group A) or sham-placebo rESWT (Group B) with three day intervals between each session. Assessment will be performed at baseline and at each of the post-rESWT time points (t1, t2 and t3). The primary assessment outcome will be the Modified Ashworth Scale, while the secondary assessment outcomes will include surface electromyography, MyotonPRO digital muscle function evaluation and infrared thermal imaging. Discussion: This trial is aimed at analyzing the application of rESWT for the management of spasticity after stroke via comprehensive and quantitative assessments. We hypothesized that after receiving active rESWT, patients will show greater improvement of upper limb muscles, compared with patients of the sham-placeborESWT group. The rESWT would be an attractive alternative to traditional methods and the results of this study may provide guidance and support for the further study of potential mechanisms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 670-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ettore Carlisi ◽  
Miriam Cecini ◽  
Giuseppe Di Natali ◽  
Federica Manzoni ◽  
Carmine Tinelli ◽  
...  

Objectives: To investigate if focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (f-ESWT) is an effective treatment in a population affected by greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). Design: Randomized controlled trial, with blind outcome assessors. Setting: Outpatients, University Hospital. Subjects: A total of 50 patients affected by GTPS with gluteal tendinopathy. Interventions: The study group was assigned to receive f-ESWT, the control group received ultrasound therapy (UST). Main measures: We assessed hip pain and lower limb function by means of a numeric rating scale (p-NRS) and the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS scale), respectively. The first follow-up evaluation (2M-FUP) was performed two months after the first treatment session, the second (6M-FUP) was carried out six months later. Results: The mean age of the population was 61.24 (9.26) years. A marked prevalence of the female sex was recorded (44 subjects, 86%). The statistical analysis showed a significant pain reduction over time for the study group and the control group, the f-ESWT proving to be significantly more effective than UST ( P < 0.05) at the 2M-FUP (2.08 vs 3.36) and at the 6M-FUP (0.79 vs 2.03). A marked improvement of the LEFS total score was observed in both groups as well, but we found no statistical differences in the comparisons between groups. Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that f-ESWT is effective in reducing pain, both in the short-term and in the mid-term perspective. We also observed a functional improvement in the affected lower limb, but, in this case, f-ESWT showed not to be superior to UST.


Author(s):  
Kyung-Min Kim ◽  
María D. Estudillo-Martínez ◽  
Yolanda Castellote-Caballero ◽  
Alejandro Estepa-Gallego ◽  
David Cruz-Díaz

Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI) is one of the most common musculoskeletal dysfunctions. Stroboscopic vision (SV) training has been deemed to enhance somatosensorial pathways in this population group; nevertheless, until recently no studies have addressed the additional effects of this treatment option to the traditional therapeutic approach. Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of a partial visual deprivation training protocol in patients with CAI, a randomized controlled trial was carried out. Patients with CAI (n = 73) were randomized into either a balance training, SV training, or a control (no training) group. For participants assigned into training groups, they received 18 training sessions over 6 weeks. The primary outcome was dynamic balance as measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test assessed at baseline and after 6 weeks of intervention. Secondary outcome measures included ankle dorsiflexion range of motion, self-reported instability feeling, and ankle functional status. Results: Better scores in stroboscopic training and balance training groups in all outcome measures were observed in comparison with the control group with moderate to large effect sizes. Stroboscopic training was more effective than neuromuscular training in self-reported instability feeling (cohen’s d = 0.71; p = 0.042) and anterior reach distance of the star excursion balance test (cohen’s d = 1.23; p = 0.001). Conclusions: Preliminary findings from the effects of SV Stroboscopic training in patients with CAI, suggest that SV may be beneficial in CAI rehabilitation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samah M. Alian ◽  
Rabab S. Zaghlol ◽  
Sahar S. Khalil

Abstract Background To compare the clinical efficacy of platelet rich plasma (PRP) subacromial injection and extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) on refractory non-calcific partial thickness supraspinatous tendon tear. Results Significant improvement in all outcome measures achieved in both groups at 4 weeks follow-up period (the end of treatment course) (P< 0.05). At 12 weeks follow-up period, group I, showed significant improvement in all outcome measures compared to baseline and group II; however, in group II, there was no significant difference compared to baseline; moreover, deterioration in the previous improvement was noticed. Conclusion Both PRP (group I) and ESWT (group II) are effective therapeutic methods in the management of refractory non-calcific partial thickness supraspinatous tendon tear; however, PRP (group I) has better long-term effects on both pain and function.


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