ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the effect of combining functional electric stimulation (FES) with upper limb cycle training in rehabilitating upper limb motor function and ability in the activities of daily living after a stroke.Methods:Sixty hemiplegic stroke survivors were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. In addition to conventional rehabilitation therapy, the experimental group underwent 20 minutes of MOTOmed upper limb cycle training every day while receiving FES. The control group received only the 20 minutes of cycle training. Before and after 4 weeks, Brunnstrom staging was used to quantify hand and upper extremity functioning. The Fulg-Meyer assessment upper extremity scale (FMA-UE) and the modified Barthel index (MBI) were also used before the training and after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of the treatments.Results:After 4 weeks of treatment, significant differences were observed in the average BS scores of both groups compared with before the intervention. The average hand and upper limb stages of the experimental group were significantly better than the control group′s averages. Significant improvement was also observed in the average FMA-UE and MBI scores of both groups after only one week, with significantly greater improvement in the experimental group.Conclusions:Supplementing upper limb cycle training with FES can significantly improve the upper limb motor function and ability in the activities of daily living of stroke survivors. It is more effective than the MOTOmed exercise alone.
ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the effects of stationary cycle training on lower limb muscle tension and motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy.Methods Sixty-seven children with spastic cerebral palsy were divided into a treatment group (n =34) and a control group (n =33).Both were treated with routine rehabilitation therapy,including neurodevelopment treatment,massage and physical agent therapy.The treatment group additionally cycled on a stationary bicycle for 20 min a day,five days a week for 3 months.Muscle tension in the children's adductor,hamstring and gastrocnemius muscles was evaluated using the modified Ashworth scale (MAS),while the adductor angle,popliteal fossa angle and foot dorsiflexion angle were measured using a joint protractor.Moreover,the 88-item version of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) was used to evaluate gross motor function.Results After treatment the average muscle tension of both groups was significantly lower than before treatment.The average muscle tension scores of the adductors,hamstrings and calf muscles of the treatment group [(1.79±0.54),(1.00±0.60),(2.29 ±1.77)] were significantly lower than those of the controls [(1.82 ± 0.53),(1.15 ± 0.44),(2.52 ± 1.89)].The adductor angles,popliteal fossa angles and foot dorsiflexion angles of both groups were significantly larger than before treatment,and the angles in the treatment group [(97.06 ± 19.03) °,(53.38 ± 12.54) ° and (8.38 ± 9.11) ° respectively] were significantly larger on average than those in the control [(98.94 ± 21.42) °,(56.52 ± 12.90) ° and (5.30 ± 14.30) ° respectively].After treatment the total GMFM scores of both groups were better than before treatment,but the treatment group's average score(138.18 ± 54.86) was significantly better than that of the control group(112.21 ± 62.44).Conclusion Three months of stationary cycle training can effectively reduce the muscle tension of children with spastic cerebral palsy and improve their motor function.