Effect of repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation for patients with chronic stroke: a case report using an AB design.
Shota Itoh, Kenta Fujimura, Shogo Imamura and 7 others
PMID 40820986WHAT IT FOUND
In one man with chronic stroke, repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation applied to forearm extensors improved wrist spasticity, motor scores, and self-reported daily task confidence.
Because he also received routine therapy, it is unclear whether the stimulation itself caused the gains.
Key findings
01Wrist extension muscle tone decreased from Modified Ashworth Scale score 1 to 0 after active stimulation and remained at 0 at follow-up.
02Fugl-Meyer Assessment score increased from 41 after sham phase to 45 at follow-up, exceeding the reported minimal clinically important difference of 4 points when compared to baseline.
03Canadian Occupational Performance Measure satisfaction and performance scores improved after active stimulation, with total satisfaction rising from 16 to 19 and performance from 15 to 20.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This is a single case report, so findings cannot be generalised to other patients. The patient received concurrent physical and occupational therapy throughout all phases, making it impossible to determine if improvements were due to rPMS, the standard therapy, or their combination. The patient was aware of when he was receiving active stimulation, so placebo effects cannot be ruled out. No neurophysiological measures (e.g., EMG) were taken to confirm the mechanism of action. The minimal clinically important difference for STEF is not established, so changes in that score are hard to interpret clinically.
Declared interests
The work was partly supported by a grant from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI).
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that rPMS alone caused the improvements. The patient received routine physical and occupational therapy during both the sham and active phases, so the effect of the magnetic stimulation cannot be separated from the concurrent standard care.