title: Immediate effects of electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement on gait velocity and spasticity in persons with hemiparetic stroke: a randomized controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research to examine the immediate effects of electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement on gait velocity and spasticity.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-masked, randomized controlled trial design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven stroke inpatients in subacute phase (ischemic n = 16, hemorrhagic n = 11).
  
  
  METHODS
  A novel approach using electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assessed the maximum gait speed and modified Ashworth scale before and 20 minutes after the interventions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed the increase form 0.68 ± 0.28 (mean ± SD, unit: m) to 0.76 ± 0.32 after the intervention. Both the electrical stimulation group and passive locomotion-like movement group also showed increases after the interventions (from 0.76 ± 0.37 to 0.79 ± 0.40, from 0.74 ± 0.35 to 0.77 ± 0.36, respectively). The gait velocity of the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group differed significantly from those of the other groups (electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus electrical stimulation: P = 0.049, electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement versus passive locomotion-like movement: P = 0.025). Although there was no statistically significant difference in the modified Ashworth scale among the three groups, six of the nine subjects (66.6%) in the electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement group showed improvement in the modified Ashworth scale score, while only three of the nine subjects (33.3%) in the electrical stimulation group and two of the nine subjects (22.2%) improved in the passive locomotion-like movement group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest electrical stimulation combined with passive locomotion-like movement could improve gait velocity in stroke patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomofumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Shigeo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanabe
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muraoka
authors.forename: Yoshihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masakado
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Meigen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010291:Paresis / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation