title: Electric stimulation and decimeter wave therapy improve the recovery of injured sciatic nerves.
abstract: Drug treatment, electric stimulation and decimeter wave therapy have been shown to promote the repair and regeneration of the peripheral nerves at the injured site. This study prepared a Mackinnon's model of rat sciatic nerve compression. Electric stimulation was given immediately after neurolysis, and decimeter wave radiation was performed at 1 and 12 weeks post-operation. Histological observation revealed that intraoperative electric stimulation and decimeter wave therapy could improve the local blood circulation of repaired sites, alleviate hypoxia of compressed nerves, and lessen adhesion of compressed nerves, thereby decreasing the formation of new entrapments and enhancing compressed nerve regeneration through an improved microenvironment for regeneration. Immunohistochemical staining results revealed that intraoperative electric stimulation and decimeter wave could promote the expression of S-100 protein. Motor nerve conduction velocity and amplitude, the number and diameter of myelinated nerve fibers, and sciatic functional index were significantly increased in the treated rats. These results verified that intraoperative electric stimulation and decimeter wave therapy contributed to the regeneration and the recovery of the functions in the compressed nerves.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050031, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Yingze
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Dehu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Hongfang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Kunlun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand Surgery, the Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050051, Hebei Province, China.
authors.forename: Jiangbo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bai
keywords: Schwann cells; electric stimulation; functional recovery; neural regeneration; neuroregeneration; peripheral nerve injury; physical therapy; sciatic nerve compression