NEUROMUSCULAR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND DYNAMIC BRACING AS A TREATMENT FOR UPPER-EXTREMITY SPASTICITY IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

• Published in: Journal of hand surgery, British volume Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 226 - 232
• Main Authors: SCHEKER, L.R., CHESHER, S.P., RAMIREZ, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England Elsevier Ltd 01-04-1999; SAGE Publications
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Braces; Cerebral Palsy - therapy; Child; Child, Preschool; Electric Stimulation Therapy; Equipment Design; Female; Humans; Male; Muscle Spasticity - therapy; Retrospective Studies; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0266-7681; 1532-2211
• DOI: 10.1054/jhsb.1998.0002

We have investigated a therapeutic regimen using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and dynamic bracing to assess their effectiveness in reducing upper-extremity spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. Nineteen patients between 4 and 21 years of age with documented diagnoses of spastic cerebral palsy were treated. The patients included in the study followed a regimen of two 30-minute sessions of NMES of the antagonist extensors combined with dynamic orthotic traction during the day. A static brace was used at night. Spasticity of the wrist and fingers was assessed periodically using the Zancolli classification. Treatment ranged from 3 to 43 months. After treatment with electrical stimulation and dynamic bracing, all the patients moved up 1 to 3 levels in the Zancolli classification and showed a marked improvement in upper-extremity function. These results show that combining NMES and dynamic orthotic traction dramatically decreases spasticity of the upper extremity in young patients with cerebral palsy.