E-stim, Dry Needling, and the combination as an intervention to reduce spasticity in patients post-CVA
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Meghan Redmond
CoPIs:
Kamil Nykiel
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Physical Therapy
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
John Lee, Jenna Tucker
Abstract:
Into/Background: Spasticity is a result of damage to the upper motor neurons characterized by an increase in muscle tone that is velocity dependent with increased resistance to stretch. Spasticity is often seen in patients who have experienced a CVA. There are multiple treatment approaches to reducing spasticity in this patient population including the use of e-stim and dry needling. Purpose: A more recent treatment approach is simultaneous use of e-stim and dry needling. This systematic review aims to investigate the effectiveness of this new combined treatment and compare it to the effectiveness of using e-stim and dry needling separately. Methods: Studies on the effect of the treatment have been researched through the use of Google Scholar, PubMed, and EBSCOhost using keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria. Results: The use of the combined treatment has been shown to decrease the H/M ratio of the gastroc-soleus complex, decrease MAS score, improve strength, and increase Brunnstrom recovery stage in spastic stroke survivors. Conclusion: These studies portray the effectiveness of this treatment and support its implementation into traditional treatment approaches. Although there is ample research to support e-stim and dry needling as separate interventions, since it is a relatively new form of treatment, future studies on the combined intervention should be conducted to further support its use and to find any potential risk factors. Clinical Relevance: Using the results of these studies as support for the combined intervention, healthcare teams may consider adding it to their treatment plan in the CVA patient population. It is recommended that more future studies continue to identify the impact of these interventions of various post-stroke spasticity presentations and potentially other spastic diagnosis. If future studies continue to support this intervention, it may be incorporated into clinical practice guidelines and potentially change the treatment approach to reducing spasticity.