The effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on clinical improvement in hemiplegic lower extremity rehabilitation in chronic stroke: A single-blind, randomised, controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: In this study, the effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was evaluated in lower extremity rehabilitation in patients with chronic stroke. METHOD: The study enrolled 40 patients with chronic stroke. Twenty patients each were assigned to the treatment group and the control group. All patients received a conventional rehabilitation program for a 4-week period. In addition to this rehabilitation program, patients in the treatment group received NMES treatment for hemiplegic foot dorsiflexor muscles for 4 weeks, 5 days a week. The sessions were performed as one session per day and added to a total of 20 sessions. Clinical parameters were evaluated before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Pre-treatment and post-treatment evaluations showed a significant increase in ankle dorsiflexion and a significant decrease in the level of spasticity in the treatment group (p < 0.05); however, there were no significant differences in the control group between the pre-treatment and post-treatment measures. Although Brunnstrom Stage, Rivermead leg and trunk score and Functional Independence Measurement motor subscore showed a significant improvement in pre- and post-treatment comparisons for both groups, the treatment group's scores were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). Functional Ambulation Categories showed a significant improvement in both groups following the treatment; however, there was no significant difference between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Use of NMES in hemiplegic foot dorsiflexion can contribute to the clinical improvement of patients when used in combination with rehabilitation programs.