Article

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (ES) is a therapeutic procedure
used in rehabilitation. However, the effectiveness of it depends on sensory
responses to pain and motor control in neuromuscular recruitment, considering the
differences related to gender and age of the subjects treated, as well as the
intensity and frequency of ES. OBJECTIVE: To determine the threshold of sensory
perception (TSP) and the threshold of motor response (TMR) in young and elderly
individuals of both genders. DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial.
SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty volunteers with no history of
systemic diseases were selected to participate in the study: 40 men and 40 women
were subdivided by convenience sampling and age group into young male and female
(age 21.6 +/- 2.4 years) groups as well as into elderly female and male groups
(age 72.6 +/- 6.1 years). INTERVENTIONS: The participants received electrical
stimulation (ES) at 5 and 50 Hz, with pulse durations of 20, 100, 400, 1000, and
3000 mus applied on the flexor muscle bellies of the wrist and fingers. MAIN
OUTCOME MEASURES: TSP was identified as the first sensation of increased current
intensity and TMR as the minimum muscle contraction detected. The results were
submitted to analysis of variance, followed by the Tukey's test, with a
significance level of 5%. RESULTS: TSP was lower than TMR for all pulse
durations, regardless of gender and age. In women, TSP was lower than that in
young and elderly men at both frequencies. However, TSP was higher in elderly
subjects than in younger subjects at 50 Hz for both genders. Age also affected
the TMR, presenting higher thresholds in elderly subjects of both genders at 50
Hz; however the same occurred only in male subjects at 5 Hz. CONCLUSION: Age and
gender interfere directly with ES. These variables should be considered during
rehabilitation because they indicate that electrical stimulation in elderly women
should be carefully performed, as they have lower thresholds than elderly men
when polarized currents are used, and there is a risk of skin lesion because of
their high thresholds.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS