A home program of sensory and neuromuscular electrical stimulation with upper-limb task practice in a patient 5 years after a stroke.
OBJECTIVE
This case report describes a person with upper-extremity (UE) hemiparesis who participated in a home program that included sensory amplitude electrical stimulation (SES) to his involved arm and performance of task-specific exercises with the assistance of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES).


METHODS
The patient was a 67-year-old man with stable sensory and motor deficits 5 years after a stroke. Sensory amplitude electrical stimulation was delivered for 2 hours per day. A daily, 15-minute course of NMES was used to help him perform UE tasks. This home program was carried out for 18 weeks and included 6 physical therapist home visits.


RESULTS
The patient's UE score on the Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment of Movement (STREAM) improved from 10/20 to 17/20. The score on the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) improved from 27/57 to 42/57. The patient reported that he was now able to button buttons, use a knife and fork, and tie simple fishing knots.


CONCLUSIONS
A home program combining SES and NMES may be an effective method to increase UE function even 5 years after a stroke.
Sullivan
Jane E
JE
Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 645 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1100, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. j-sullivan@northwestern.edu
Hedman
Lois D
LD
D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D018575:Home Care Services, Hospital-Based; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010291:Paresis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis