The effect of surface electromyography biofeedback on the activity of extensor and dorsiflexor muscles in elderly adults: a randomized trial
Ana Belén Gámez, Juan José Hernandez Morante, José Luis Martínez Gil, Francisco Esparza, Carlos Manuel Martínez, Ana Belén Gámez, Juan José Hernandez Morante, José Luis Martínez Gil, Francisco Esparza, Carlos Manuel Martínez
Abstract
Surface electromyography-biofeedback (sEMG-B) is a technique employed for the rehabilitation of patients with neurological pathologies, such as stroke-derived hemiplegia; however, little is known about its effectiveness in the rehabilitation of the extension and flexion of several muscular groups in elderly patients after a stroke. Therefore, this research was focused on determining the effectiveness of sEMG-B in the muscles responsible for the extension of the hand and the dorsiflexion of the foot in post-stroke elderly subjects. Forty subjects with stroke-derived hemiplegia were randomly divided into intervention or control groups. The intervention consisted of 12 sEMG-B sessions. The control group underwent 12 weeks (24 sessions) of conventional physiotherapy. Muscle activity test and functionality (Barthel index) were determined. Attending to the results obtained, the intervention group showed a higher increase in the average EMG activity of the extensor muscle of the hand and in the dorsal flexion of the foot than the control group (p < 0.001 in both cases), which was associated with an increase in the patients' Barthel index score (p = 0.006); In addition, Fugl-Meyer test revealed higher effectiveness in the lower limb (p = 0.007). Thus, the sEMG-B seems to be more effective than conventional physiotherapy, and the use of this technology may be essential for improving muscular disorders in elderly patients with physical disabilities resulting from a stroke.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03838809.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no competing interests.
Figures
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Source: PubMed