Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether surface electrical stimulation can increase the
effectiveness of task-related exercises for improving the walking capacity of
patients with chronic stroke. DESIGN: Randomized, placebo-controlled clinical
trial. SETTING: Home-based programme. SUBJECTS: One hundred and nine hemiparetic
stroke survivors were assigned randomly to: (1) transcutaneous electrical nerve
stimulation (TENS), (2) TENS + exercise, (3) placebo stimulation + exercise, or
(4) control group. INTERVENTIONS: The TENS group received 60 minutes of
electrical stimulation. Both the TENS + exercise group and placebo stimulation +
exercise group did 60 minutes of exercises, followed respectively by 60 minutes
of electrical and placebo stimulation. Treatment was given five days a week for
four weeks. The control group had no active treatment. OUTCOME MEASURES:
Comfortable gait speed was measured using a GAITRite II walkway system. Walking
endurance and functional mobility were measured by the distance covered during a
6-minute walk test (6MWT) and by timed up and go test scores before treatment,
after two weeks and after four weeks of treatment, and at follow-up four weeks
after treatment ended. RESULTS: When compared with the other three groups, only
the combined TENS + exercise group showed significantly greater absolute and
percentage increases in gait velocity (by 37.1-57.5%, all P<0.01) and reduction
in timed up and go scores (by -14.9 to -23.3%, P<0.01) from week 2 onwards. When
compared with the control and TENS groups, only the combined TENS + exercise
group covered significantly more distance in the 6MWT
(by 22.2-34.7%, P<0.01)
from week 2 onwards. CONCLUSION: TENS can improve the effectiveness of
task-related exercise for increasing walking capacity in hemiparetic stroke
survivors.

Langue : ANGLAIS