Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation for shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, pain and upper extremity function in hemiparetic stroke patients.
Methods: Twenty participants with subacute hemiparetic stroke were recruited for this study and were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). Subjects in the experimental group participated in task-oriented electromyography triggered stimulation for 30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks, whereas the control group received cyclic functional electrical stimulation for 30 minutes, five times a week for four weeks. Subjects in both groups received conventional physical therapy for four weeks (30 min/day, five times/week). Data collected included the degree of shoulder subluxation which had been confirmed by X-ray, muscle activation of the supraspinatus and posterior deltoid muscles by electromyography, pain by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and hand function by the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) before and after the four week exercise period.
Results: The results showed significant improvement in shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, and VAS results in the experimental group, compared with the control group(p < 0.05). FMA scores showed no significant differences between the two groups.
Conclusions: In conclusion, task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation improved shoulder subluxation, muscle activation, pain and upper extremity function. These results suggest that task-oriented electromyography-triggered stimulation is effective and beneficial for individuals with subacute stroke, and that further studies should be conducted on multivarious anatomical regions.
Keywords: Stroke; electromyography triggered stimulation; subluxation; task oriented exercise.