RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at testing the ability of the superimposed electrical stimulation technique to restore the mobility of pre-stiff thumbs after operative repair for rupture of the ulnar collateral ligament. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight patients demonstrating a pre-stiff metacarpophalangeal joint were involved in two rehabilitation sessions of a counterbalanced design. In the voluntary contraction session, they performed 20min of repeated active flexions of the impaired metacarpophalangeal joint. In the superimposed electrical stimulation session, they performed 20min of percutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulations which were superimposed to voluntary flexion. RESULTS: Mean active range of motion improvement from pre- to post-session was significantly greater in the superimposed electrical stimulation condition compared to the voluntary contraction condition (11±5 deg versus 3±4 deg; P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Superimposing electrical stimulation to voluntary contractions is an efficient technique to improve active range of motion of the pre-stiff metacarpophalangeal joint of the thumb.
Asunto(s)
Ligamentos Colaterales/cirugía , Terapia por Estimulación Eléctrica/métodos , Deformidades Congénitas de la Mano/rehabilitación , Articulación Metacarpofalángica/anomalías , Articulación Metacarpofalángica/lesiones , Pulgar/anomalías , Cúbito/cirugía , Adulto , Ligamentos Colaterales/lesiones , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Rango del Movimiento Articular , Rotura/cirugía , Cúbito/lesionesRESUMEN
AIM: Electrical stimulation has shown to improve muscle endurance in sub-maximal contractions but sessions were painful due to the electric stimuli parameters. Therefore, the present study tested the effects of the superimposed electrical stimulation technique using comfortable current on endurance in repetitions of maximal voluntary contraction. METHODS: Seventeen young healthy subjects performed fifty maximal voluntary contractions of the triceps brachii in two conditions of contraction (voluntary vs. voluntary + superimposed electrical stimulation). RESULTS: Peak force and force-time integral were consistently decreased in the voluntary muscular contraction condition after the 20th - 30th trials whereas they were maintained in the superimposed electrical stimulation condition (P<0.05) until the end of the fifty trials. CONCLUSION: The superimposition of neuromuscular electrical stimulation extends the muscle ability to repeat maximal voluntary contractions. The present results also evidenced the ability of the superimposed electrical stimulation technique to make the mechanisms of muscle central fatigue inefficient.