Effect of motor imagery training and electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation on lower extremity function in stroke patients: a pilot trial.
Ji-Hoon Kim, Young-Seok Cho, Ji-Su Park and 1 others
PMID 29200627WHAT IT FOUND
In eight stroke patients, motor imagery training paired with EMG-triggered stimulation was followed by faster timed up-and-go and 10-meter walk times.
This was a single-group pilot, so the change cannot be separated from practice or natural recovery.
Key findings
01Eight stroke patients completed the study.
02After 4 weeks of motor imagery training paired with electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation, timed up-and-go times decreased from 20.5 ± 4.5 seconds to 14.0 ± 3.5 seconds (p<0.05).
0310-meter walk times decreased from 21.3 ± 4.5 seconds to 15.5 ± 3.2 seconds (p<0.05).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only eight stroke patients, so the results cannot be generalised. It was a single-group before-after pilot without a control group, so improvement cannot be separated from natural recovery, practice, or time. Motor imagery training and electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation were delivered together, so the contribution of either component cannot be determined. There was no follow-up after the end of the intervention, so the durability of the effect is unknown. Brain imaging was not performed, so motor-related cortical changes were not confirmed. The paper did not name a primary outcome, and the reported outcomes were two timed walking tests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that motor imagery training or electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation alone improved walking. Both were delivered together in a single-group pilot with eight patients, so the contribution of either component cannot be separated.