ABSTRACT
Purpose : To study the effect of repetitive facilitation exercise combined with continuous low-frequency electrical stimulation on upper-extremity motor impairment or hand edema during the acute phase of cerebral infarction. Subjects : Thirty inpatients with both hemiplegia and hand swelling, who were admitted to a hospital from April 2011 to March 2012. Methods : In this randomized, controlled, observer-blinded trial, we randomized the subjects into two groups and provided treatment on a 2-week, 30 minutes/day schedule. Subjects in the intervention group received repetitive facilitation exercise concurrent with continuous low-frequency electrical stimulation, while subjects in the control group were provided passive range-of-motion (ROM) exercise. Upper Limb Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), edema and passive ROM were evaluated at baseline and at two weeks. Results : At two weeks, the intervention group showed significant improvements on all measurements. However, the control group showed significant improvement only in their FMA. The intervention group had significantly greater improvements than the control group on all three measurements. Conclusion : Repetitive facilitation exercise concurrent with continuous low-frequency electrical stimulation therapy is effective not only for recovery from motor impairment but also for reducing swelling of the hand during the acute phase of cerebral infarction.