Functional electrical stimulation for shoulder subluxation in chronic stroke

Juliana Barbosa Corr
UNIFESP

Heloise Cazangi Borges
UNIFESP

Paulo Roberto Garcia Lucareli
USP

Richard Eloin Liebano
UNIFESP

Vanessa Costa Monteiro
UNIFESP

Danilo Masiero
UNIFESP

Therezinha Rosane Chamalian
UNIFESP

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     Last modified: March 1, 2007

Abstract
Introduction: The subluxation of shoulder is an important and frequent secondary complication found on the patient that had suffered stroke. In the hemiplegia, the paralysis of the muscles of the shoulder, together with the lack of inferior stability of the glenoumeral joint, contributes for the occurrence of the inferior displacement of the head of humerus. The Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) comes being used as an effective therapeutic resource in the best congruence of the glenohumeral joint, allowing functional improvement and of pain in the joint of the shoulder.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of the FES in the subluxation of shoulder, in the radiological and functional aspects and in the pain of patients in chronic phase of the stroke in the physiotherapy sessions.
Methods: The study was a Clinical Assay Controlled Randomized with 6 patients who had carried through RX examinations and had passed for evaluation of pain, evaluation of the superior member (Fugl-Meyer) and physiotherapeutic evaluation. All the measures had been made by a blind appraiser. The patients had been divided in 2 called groups Control Group (CG) and Experimental Group (EG). The CG only received conventional physiotherapy in the superior member, while EG received conventional physiotherapy and a program from treatment with FES.
Results: The comparison enters the measures of ROM, RX, function and pain had not significant difference in the 2 groups before and after the treatment. However, the present study it showed that the experimental group got a bigger reduction of the subluxation and pain in the shoulder, when compared with the group has controlled.
Conclusion: This study does not show given conclusive due to the small number of the sample. However, the FES seems to produce reduction of the subluxation, improve the function of the superior member and to act in the reduction of pain in carrying patients of chronic stroke.