Methods
- 14 participants (men/women = 12/2) aged 23-66 years, with SCI C4 – T12, AIS A – D participated, of whom 7 were able to walk.
- 30 minutes of transcutaneous stimulation of the spinal cord was applied using NeuroTrac multiTENS from Quintet (symmetrical, rectangular impulses, 2 ms phase, 50 Hz).
- Four electrodes were placed bilaterally, two paravertebral at level T11-12 and two on the lower abdomen. The current density should result in paresthesia under the electrodes.
- Clinical examinations and questionnaires were performed before, directly after and 2 hours after the stimulation.
Results
Preliminary results indicate a statistically significant decrease in perceived grade of spasticity directly and 2 hours after one treatment (p < 0.01). The reduction in walking speed was minimal and not significant.
Conclusions
The stimulation was well tolerated, and participants reported less spasticity after stimulation. The minimal change in walking speed in this sample could be due to the fact that some of the ambulatory participants used their spasticity for walking. We are now planning to investigate the effect of repetitive stimulations over a period of time.
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Project group
- Wiebke Höfers, PT, M.Sc.
- Vivien Jørgensen, PT, P.hd.
- Anne Birgitte Flaaten, PT
- Anne M. Lannem, PT, P.hd.