Evaluation of Clinical and Electrophysiological Effects of Electrical Stimulation on Spasticity of Plantar Flexor Muscles in Patients with Stroke

Objective: The aim of this study is to measure the clinical and electrophysiological effects of electrical stimulation on the spasticity of plantar flexor muscles in hemiplegic patients who have plantar flexor spasticity. Material and Methods: Thirty-two hemiplegic patients having spasticity in lower extremities were included. Study group patients underwent electrical stimulation of the spastic agonist muscles for 20 min per day for 15 days in addition to the conventional program. On the other hand, control group patients underwent the conventional rehabilitation program only. The hemiplegic patients were clinically and electrophysiologically evaluated twice before and after the treatment within 24-48 h. Results: A noticeable rise in Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, strength of ankle dorsiflexion, and range of motion of passive ankle dorsiflexion and a noticeable statistical decrease in the tonus of the ankle plantar flexor were found in the group that underwent electrical stimulation when pretreatment findings were compared to post-treatment findings. While the H/M range was found to be noticeably high in both the control and study hemiplegic groups (p = 0.005) in the pretreatment period, no statistical difference was seen in the control and study groups compared to that in the pretreatment period in electrophysiological statistical parameters (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Electrical stimulation can be a good functional option for treating patients having plantar flexor spasticity because it can be applied at home, it has no side effect, it is cheap, it is easy to apply, and it has a good functional performance in addition to the conventional treatment for spasticity.