Effect of DMS device combined with Kinesio taping in the treatment of shoulder pain after stroke

LI Shusen; REN Ting; JIANG Yingying

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1002-266X.2025.07.006

Abstract：Objective To observe the effect of deep muscle stimulation(DMS)device combined with Kinesio taping(KT)on post-stroke shoulder pain.Methods A total of 120 patients with post-stroke shoulder pain were randomly as-signed into four groups(n=30 per group):Control group,KT group,DMS group,and combination group.Patients in the control group received conventional rehabilitation intervention.Patients in the KT group received taping using KT TAPE(5 cm×5 m).Patients in the DMS group received treatment using a DMS device.Patients in the combination group re-ceived DMS device treatment followed by KT.The treatment course lasted 4 weeks.Before treatment and 4 weeks after treatment,the Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)was used to assess pain during passive shoulder flexion,the Fugl-Meyer As-sessment(FMA)upper limb subscale was used to evaluate the severity of upper limb motor impairment,and the Activities of Daily Living(ADL)scale was used to assess upper limb functional ability.Results After 4 weeks of treatment,VAS scores decreased in all groups as compared with those before treatment.The DMS group had a lower VAS score than the control group and the KT group.The combination group had a lower VAS score than the control group,KT group,and DMS group(all P<0.05).After 4 weeks of treatment,FMA scores and ADL scores increased in all groups as compared with the pre-treatment levels.The DMS group had higher FMA and ADL scores than the control group and the KT group.The combination group had higher FMA and ADL scores than the control group,KT group,and DMS group(all P<0.05).Conclusion Compared with conventional rehabilitation intervention,KT alone,or DMS therapy alone,the combination of DMS device and KT can significantly relieve the shoulder pain and improve upper limb motor function in patients with post-stroke shoulder pain.