Integrated volitional control electrical stimulation for the paretic hand: a case report.
Risa Suzuki, Yoshihiro Muraoka, Susumu Yamada and 1 others
PMID 31645817WHAT IT FOUND
A man with long-standing right-hand paralysis after stroke gained thumb and finger movement after integrated volitional-control electrical stimulation plus ongoing rehabilitation.
This is a case report, not proof the device works.
Key findings
01Voluntary extension of fingers 3-5 at about 5 degrees and right thumb abduction of 0-15 degrees were reported fourteen days after IVES began.
02At 28 days, voluntary thumb abduction and finger extension were possible, and hemiplegia test scores were right upper limb Brunnstrom III, right hand and fingers IV, and right lower limb II.
03At 1 year after IVES was completed, Brunnstrom stage right upper limb III, right hand and fingers IV, and finger-function 1C were reported, and holding a pen, grasping a ball, and opening/closing a clothespin were possible.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This is one person, not a pattern, so it cannot show what will happen in other patients. The patient continued ambulatory rehabilitation before and during IVES, and he practiced moving his right hand at home, so the effect of IVES alone cannot be separated. The report did not compare the IVES modes equally or account for differences between modes, so it cannot identify which mode mattered. The patient had long-standing paralysis after stroke, limited hand movement, and specific muscle tone and range of motion, so the result may not apply to patients with different tone or motion limits.
Declared interests
The author received a lecturer fee for an IVES seminar from OG Wellness Technologies in 2018. The company makes the IVES device used in the report. The author states no funds were provided for writing the manuscript.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that IVES works for long-standing stroke hand paralysis. It is one person, not a pattern, and the patient also received ongoing ambulatory rehabilitation, individual training, and home practice, so IVES alone cannot be credited.