%0 Journal Article
%T Standard early rehabilitation and lower limb transcutaneous nerve or neuromuscular electrical stimulation in acute stroke patients: a randomized controlled pilot study
%A Guan-Shuo Pan
%A Hsiao-Ching Yen
%A Jer-Junn Luh
%A Jiann-Shing Jeng
%A Wen-Shiang Chen
%A Ya-Yun Lee
%J Clinical Rehabilitation
%@ 1477-0873
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0269215519841420
%X We investigated adding lower limb transcutaneous nerve stimulation or neuromuscular electrical stimulation to standard early rehabilitation in acute stroke patients. An assessor-blinded, randomized controlled pilot study. A medical stroke center. First-stroke patients aged 20¨C80£¿years admitted to the stroke center within 24£¿hours post stroke. A total of 42 participants were randomly assigned to groups: transcutaneous nerve stimulation£¿+£¿standard early rehabilitation, neuromuscular electrical stimulation£¿+£¿standard early rehabilitation, or standard early rehabilitation-only. Transcutaneous nerve or neuromuscular electrical stimulation was delivered to the affected tibialis anterior and quadriceps muscles for 30£¿minutes a day, five£¿days per week for two£¿weeks. The Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients, the Functional Independence Measure, and three mobility milestones, namely, sitting for >five£¿minutes, standing for >one£¿minute, and walking £¿50£¿m, were evaluated, respectively, at baseline, at the two-week post-intervention, and at two-week follow-up. Significant differences existed in the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients scores between the transcutaneous nerve stimulation and standard early rehabilitation-only groups measured at two-weeks post-intervention (mean (SD)£¿=£¿31.38 (5.39) and 18.00 (8.65), respectively) and at the two-week follow-up (34.08 (2.69) and 26.14 (7.77), respectively). A higher proportion of participants could walk £¿50£¿m independently in the transcutaneous nerve stimulation group than in the standard early rehabilitation-only group at the two-week post-intervention (P£¿=£¿0.013) and two-week follow-up (P£¿=£¿0.01) marks. Two£¿weeks of transcutaneous nerve stimulation added to standard early rehabilitation improved postural stability and walking in acute stroke patients
%K Electrical stimulation
%K early rehabilitation
%K acute stroke
%K postural stability
%K mobility
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269215519841420