Lee DongGeon, Lee GyuChang, Jeong JiSim
Department of Physical Therapy, Kyungnam University, Changwon, Korea.
Saessac Children Developmental Center, Changwon, Korea.
Technol Health Care. 2016 Jul 27;24(4):503-11. doi: 10.3233/THC-161144.
This study was to investigate the effects of Mirror Therapy (MT) combined with Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) on muscle strength and tone, motor function, balance, and gait ability in stroke survivors with hemiplegia.
This study was a randomized controlled trial. Twenty-seven hemiplegic stroke survivors from a rehabilitation center participated in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group (n = 14) underwent MT combined with NMES and conventional physical therapy, and the control group (n = 13) underwent conventional physical therapy alone. Muscle strength and tone, balance, and gait ability were examined at baseline and after 4 weeks of intervention. A hand-held dynamometer was used to assess muscle strength, the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) was used to assess muscle tone, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go test (TUG) were used to ascertain balance, and the 6-m Walk Test (6mWT) was used to examine gait ability.
After the intervention, compared to baseline values, there were significant improvements in muscle strength and MAS, BBS, TUG, and 6mWT values in the experimental group (P< 0.05). In addition, at post-intervention, there were significant differences between the two groups in muscle strength and BBS (P< 0.05).
MT combined with NMES may effectively improve muscle strength and balance in hemiplegic stroke survivors. However, further studies are necessary to demonstrate brain reorganization after MT combined with NMES.
本研究旨在探讨镜像疗法（MT）联合神经肌肉电刺激（NMES）对偏瘫中风幸存者的肌肉力量和张力、运动功能、平衡及步态能力的影响。
本研究为随机对照试验。来自一家康复中心的27名偏瘫中风幸存者参与了该研究。参与者被随机分为实验组或对照组。实验组（n = 14）接受MT联合NMES及传统物理治疗，对照组（n = 13）仅接受传统物理治疗。在基线期及干预4周后检查肌肉力量和张力、平衡及步态能力。使用手持测力计评估肌肉力量，采用改良Ashworth量表（MAS）评估肌肉张力，采用Berg平衡量表（BBS）和计时起立行走测试（TUG）确定平衡，采用6米步行测试（6mWT）检查步态能力。
干预后，与基线值相比，实验组的肌肉力量、MAS、BBS、TUG及6mWT值均有显著改善（P < 0.05）。此外，干预后两组在肌肉力量和BBS方面存在显著差异（P < 0.05）。
MT联合NMES可能有效改善偏瘫中风幸存者的肌肉力量和平衡。然而，需要进一步研究来证明MT联合NMES后的脑重组情况。
