Effect of Segmental Muscle Vibration on Upper Extremity Functional Ability Post Stroke

Effect of Segmental Muscle Vibration on Upper Extremity Functional Ability Post Stroke

Background and objective: Upper extremity functional impairments are common consequences post stroke. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of Segmental muscle vibration (SMV) application along with supervised physical therapy (SPT) on improving activities of daily living (ADL) and motor recovery on the hemiparetic upper extremity in patients with stroke.

Methods: A sample of 37 patients post stroke (29 males) was randomly assigned to either supervised physical therapy (SPT) control group (n=18) or supervised physical therapy and segmental muscle vibration (SPT-SMV) experimental group (n=19). All patients received 3 sessions per week of SPT for 8 weeks. The SPT-SMV experimental group received SMV at the end of each SPT session. Outcome measures used were Barthel Index (BI), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), and goniometry for Range of Motion (ROM) assessment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• confirmed diagnosis of stroke

Exclusion Criteria:

• if they had any serious orthopedic injury/disease, cardiopulmonary problems or suffered from a neurological disease (other than stroke).