Combining electromyographic biofeedback with extracorporeal shockwave therapy can better relieve lower limb spasticity and improve the motor functioning of children with spastic cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To explore the effect of combining extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) with electromyographic biofeedback on the motor functioning of children with spastic cerebral palsy.Methods:Fifty children with spastic cerebral palsy (2-7 years old) were randomized into a control group and an experimental group, each of 25. Both groups received routine rehabilitation and electric stimulation therapy with electromyographic biofeedback, while the experimental group was additionally provided with ESWT. Before and after 8 weeks of treatment, integral electromyograms were recorded and the root mean square values of the electromyogram recorded from the tibialis anterior muscle were computed. Lower limb spasticity and motor ability were evaluated by using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), the Modified Tardieu Scale (MTS), and the D and E regions of the Gross Motor Function Measurement Scale (GMFM-88).Results:After the treatment the results of both groups had improved significantly in terms of the surface electromyography of the tibialis anterior muscle, MAS scores, R1 in the MTS and the difference between R2 and R1, and the GMFM-88 regional scores. All of the improvements were significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group, on average.Conclusions:Combining ESWT with EMG biofeedback can better relieve lower limb spasticity and improve the motor functioning of children with spastic cerebral palsy.