Pulse Width Does Not Influence the Gains Achieved With Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Double-Blind, Randomized Trial.
Awad M Almuklass, Leah Davis, Landon D Hamilton and 3 others
PMID 29366377WHAT IT FOUND
Narrow and wide pulse NMES produced similar gains in walking speed and endurance in 27 people with MS.
Both groups improved, but with no untreated control NMES alone cannot be proven to cause them.
Key findings
01Narrow-pulse and wide-pulse NMES did not differ in gains in 25-ft walk speed or 6-min walk distance.
02When the two groups were combined, 25-ft walk time and 6-min walk distance improved at Week 7 and remained improved at Week 11.
03Fatigue and self-reported walking disability improved at Weeks 7 and 11, but PDDS score at Week 7 did not significantly change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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
Only 27 of 32 people completed the protocol, and five left because of time commitments or an unrelated injury. There was no untreated control group, so the actual influence of NMES could not be separated from placebo or other time-related effects. Outcomes were not assessed during the intervention, and follow-up was only to Week 11, about 4 weeks after treatment. Participants had a range of disability, including one person reporting normal walking and two essentially confined to a wheelchair, so the small sample limits subgroup interpretation. The study did not include a control group that could assess a potential placebo effect.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that NMES caused the walking gains. The trial had no untreated control group, so the improvements could have come from time, expectation, or other factors.