Neuromuscular conditions in post-stroke ankle-foot dysfunction reflected by surface electromyography.
Ying Xu, Juan Wang, Shujia Wang and 3 others
PMID 39107804WHAT IT FOUND
Surface EMG showed reduced muscle activation on the affected side and increased coordination on the unaffected side in post-stroke patients.
These differences were not seen in traditional clinical assessments, suggesting EMG may reveal hidden neuromuscular compensation.
Key findings
01Muscle activation (RMS) was significantly lower on the affected side for the medial gastrocnemius, flexor digitorum longus, and extensor digitorum longus compared to healthy controls.
02The unaffected side showed higher muscle activation for the tibial anterior and extensor digitorum longus, and greater intermuscular coordination (higher clustering coefficient, lower shortest path length) than healthy controls.
03Nonlinear network indices (degree centrality) did not always align with linear activation measures, indicating that reduced muscle activation does not necessarily mean reduced voluntary neural involvement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Very small sample size (14 patients, 10 controls). Only male participants were included. Patients were restricted to Brunnstrom stage III, limiting generalisability to other recovery stages. Measurements were taken only during static standing, not during dynamic movement. The study did not correlate these EMG findings with clinical outcomes or functional scores.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Science and Technology Program of Suzhou. No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased coordination on the unaffected side as a positive sign of recovery. It likely reflects compensatory over-activation to maintain balance, which may contribute to long-term asymmetry and secondary issues.