The effect of combining extracorporeal shock waves with continuous static stretching in treating triceps spasticity after a stroke / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To observe any effect of supplementing continuous static stretching (CSS) with extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in treating triceps surae spasm after a stroke.Methods:Sixty-four stroke survivors with triceps surae spasm were randomly divided into a conventional rehabilitation group, a shock wave group and a combined treatment group. In addition to conventional rehabilitation, the shock wave group received extracorporeal shock wave therapy twice a week and the combined treatment group received the shock waves during continuous static stretching. After 6 weeks of treatment all of the subjects were assessed using the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Brunnstrom classification of their functional recovery stage.Results:Before treatment there was no significant difference among the three groups. After the 6 weeks of treatment the average triceps surae tension in all three groups had eased significantly. At that point the average MAS and FMA scores of the shock wave group and the combined treatment group were significantly better than those of the conventional group. The combined treatment group then showed significantly better therapeutic effect than the shock wave group.Conclusions:Applying extracorporeal shock waves during continuous static stretching can significantly improve the stretching′s ability to reduce spasticity and improve motor functioning, at least of the triceps surae. Combining shock waves with modern traction methods is recommended for clinical application.