Effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation on facial muscle strength and oral function in stroke patients with facial palsy.
Jong-Bae Choi
PMID 27799689WHAT IT FOUND
In nine stroke patients with facial palsy and oral swallowing problems, cheek and lip strength increased after four weeks of facial electrical stimulation, and oral phase swallowing score decreased.
No comparison group was included, so natural recovery may explain the changes.
Key findings
01Maximal cheek strength improved from 14.3 ± 3.4 kPa to 18.4 ± 2.8 kPa, and maximal lip strength improved from 10.6 ± 2.7 kPa to 13.4 ± 2.7 kPa.
02The oral phase Videofluoroscopy Dysphagia Scale score decreased from 27.0 ± 5.0 to 22.2 ± 4.3 points.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only nine stroke patients were studied, so the results cannot be generalised. All participants were in the subacute period after stroke, and natural recovery may have contributed to the changes. There was no follow-up after the intervention, so long-term effects are unknown. The supplied text does not report a comparison group, randomisation, or blinding, so the effect of facial NMES alone cannot be separated. The supplied text does not say what other rehabilitation, if any, was provided alongside the stimulation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the strength and swallowing gains as proof that facial NMES works. The study had only nine subacute stroke patients, no comparison group, and no follow-up, so natural recovery could explain the changes.