Effect of BRT combined with NMES on balance and neurological function in elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia

Wei Jing; Wang Xia

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1009-0126.2024.11.017

Abstract：Objective To explore the effects of Bobath rehabilitation technology(BRT)combined with neuromuscular electrical stimulation(NMES)on balance and neurological function in elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia.Methods A total of 197 elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia admitted to our hospital from January 2022 to January 2024 were enrolled,and randomly divided into control group(BRT,99 cases)and observation group(BRT+NMES,98 cases).At 4 and 8 weeks after treatment,Berg Balance Scale(BBS),Fugl-Meyer Assessment of Lower Extremity(FMA-LE),Barthel index(BI),National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),China stroke scale(CSS)were performed,and temporal and spatial parameters of walking,motor neuron excit-ability and electromyographic indicators were collected.The obtained scores and parameters were compared between the two groups.Results At 4 and 8 weeks after treatment,BBS score,FMA-LE score and BI score were significantly increased,and NIHSS score and CSS score were obviously decreased in both groups when compared with their baseline levels(P＜0.05).The scores of BBS,FMA-LE and BI were notably higher,while those of NIHSS and CSS were remarkably lower in the observation group than the control group at 4 and 8 weeks after treatment(P＜0.01).At 8 weeks after treatment,the static and contraction electromyographic values,and step width,fre-quency,speed and length of the two groups were significantly higher,and the maximum amplitude of M wave and H wave were lower than before treatment(P＜0.05).At 8 weeks after treatment,the observation group had statistically higher static and contraction electromyographic values,and step width,frequency,speed and length(P＜0.05,P＜0.01),and lower maximum amplitude of M wave and H wave(1.13±0.18 mV vs 1.59±0.23 mV,1.22±0.21 mV vs 1.93±0.19 mV,P＜0.01)when compared with the control group.Conclusion The implementation of BRT+NMES can better improve balance and neurological function,enhance lower limb ability,and restore walking ability in elderly stroke patients with hemiplegia.