The influence of transcutaneous nerve stimulation on changes in sympathetic skin response among patients with shoulder-hand syndrome after stroke / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe any therapeutic effect of transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) on patients with shoulder-hand syndrome after stroke (SHSAS) and to examine the influence of TENS on sympathetic skin response (SSR).Methods Sixty-eight patients with SHSAS were randomly divided into a treatment group (35 cases) treated with routine rehabilitation training and TENS therapy and a control group (33 cases)treated with routine rehabilitation training only.The therapy for both groups lasted 3 weeks.The severity of pain and edema of the affected upper limb was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS) while sympathetic skin response was recorded from the affected upper limb before and after treatment.Results VAS scores improved significantly in the treatment group,and significantly more than in the control group.There was no significant difference in the SSR latencies,amplitudes or abnormality rates between the two groups before treatment.The latencies and abnormality rates of both groups improved significantly after treatment,but the improvement in the treatment group was more obvious.The SSR amplitudes did not change significantly after treatment in either group.There was a positive correlation between the SSR latencies and abnormality rates and the VAS scores,but no significant correlation between SSR amplitude and the VAS scores.Conclusions TENS therapy combined with routine rehabilitation training showed not only good clinical results,but also significant changes in SSR among patients with SHSAS.This indicates that SSR could be used to evaluate therapeutic effects in SHSAS patients.