Effectiveness of Repetitive Facilitative Exercise Combined with Electrical Stimulation Therapy to Improve Very Severe Paretic Upper Limbs in with Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: The difference in the effects of combined therapy with repetitive facilitative exercise (RFE) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on stroke upper limb paralysis was only reported by a pilot study; it has not been investigated in many patients. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of combined therapy with RFE and NMES on stroke patients with severe upper paresis. METHODS: This study included 99 of the very severe paresis stroke patients with scores of zero or 1a in the Finger-Function test of the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS). We randomly divided the patients into four groups, namely, NMES, RFE, RFE under NMES, and conventional training (CT) groups. A total of 20 min of group-specific training in addition to 40 min of conventional exercise per day, seven times a week for 4 weeks after admission, was performed. The upper extremity items of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) were evaluated before and after the training period. RESULTS: The total score gains of the FMA, FMA wrist item, and FMA finger item were significantly larger in the RFE under NMES group than those in the CT group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The combination of voluntary movement and electrical stimulation may promote the activation of paralyzed muscles and improve distal function for very severe paralyzed upper limbs.