Blog #2 - Week 5
For my final blog, I have decided to discuss e-stim and the
potential benefits for muscular dystrophy patients. On a personal note, I have been interested in
electrical stimulation ever since I was a young child. I remember reading articles about various Russian athletes using electro-stimulation to increase strength
and performance. It was not until joining the PTA program, however, that I
understood the many different types of e-stim. They all produce an electrical
stimulation, but the current and values of each vary and are used for different methods of
treatment (i.e. reducing pain, muscle contraction, etc.)
The study I researched involved nine children affected with either
Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy. They underwent a low-frequency
electrical regimen with stimulation directed toward their right anterior tibialis muscle. The goal of the treatment was to measure changes in
dorsiflexion of the stimulated right leg compared to the non stimulated left leg.
Four of the boys were stimulated and measured for a
three-month period. No changes resulted
from the treatment. The five remaining boys underwent treatment for nine months
and did show some improvement in right ankle torque / dorsiflexion compared to
their left leg. According to the article, “6 measurements made during the
stimulation program revealed that changes of torques in the ankle of the right
stimulated extremity were significantly
different from the changes of torques in the ankle of the left
nonstimulated extremity.”
It appears electrical stimulation can offer some benefit to
patients with muscular dystrophy, but only if sustained over a long period of
time.
Article link: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1557085
Non copyrighted image courtesy of: activlifetech.com.au/shin/
Written & posted by: Josh W.
Written & posted by: Josh W.
