title: Electromyography function, disability degree, and pain in leprosy patients undergoing neural mobilization treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the neural mobilization technique on electromyography function, disability degree, and pain in patients with leprosy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 56 individuals with leprosy was randomized into an experimental group, composed of 29 individuals undergoing treatment with neural mobilization, and a control group of 27 individuals who underwent conventional treatment. In both groups, the lesions in the lower limbs were treated. In the treatment with neural mobilization, the procedure used was mobilization of the lumbosacral roots and sciatic nerve biased to the peroneal nerve that innervates the anterior tibial muscle, which was evaluated in the electromyography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the electromyography function showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in the experimental group in both the right (Δ%=22.1, p=0.013) and the left anterior tibial muscles (Δ%=27.7, p=0.009), compared with the control group pre- and post-test. Analysis of the strength both in the movement of horizontal extension (Δ%right=11.7, p=0.003/Δ%left=27.4, p=0.002) and in the movement of back flexion (Δ%right=31.1; p=0.000/Δ%left=34.7, p=0.000) showed a significant increase (p<0.05) in both the right and the left segments when comparing the experimental group pre- and post-test. The experimental group showed a significant reduction (p=0.000) in pain perception and disability degree when the pre- and post-test were compared and when compared with the control group in the post-test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Leprosy patients undergoing the technique of neural mobilization had an improvement in electromyography function and muscle strength, reducing disability degree and pain.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Piauí, Teresina, PI.
authors.forename: Larissa Sales Téles
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Véras
authors.forename: Rodrigo Gomes de Souza
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Vale
authors.forename: Danielli Braga de
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: José Adail Fonseca de
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trott
authors.forename: Estélio Henrique Martin
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Dantas
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome