Effect of exercise rehabilitation, neuromuscular muscle stimulation, and massage on ischemic stroke recovery and hypertension: a randomized trial
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v70.113694Keywords:
Ischemic stroke, whole-body exercise, neuromuscular stimulation, massage, rehabilitation, hypertensionAbstract
Introduction: Stroke is among the top five causes of death and a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Ischemic stroke (IS), the most common type, results from an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Hemiparesis affects approximately 65% of stroke survivors, significantly impacting the quality of life.
Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of whole-body exercise (WBE), electrical neuromuscular stimulation (ENS), and massage therapy on facial and body muscle strength, stroke severity, visual acuity, and blood pressure among patients with ischemic stroke.
Methods: A prospective, randomised, controlled trial was conducted with 180 male IS patients who met the eligibility criteria for thrombolytic treatment. Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n = 90) that received WBE, ENS, and massage or a control group (n = 90) that followed standard hospital rehabilitation. The intervention lasted 12 weeks, consisting of four 30–40-minute sessions per week. Outcomes were assessed pre- and post-intervention using validated measures: the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS), the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI), the MRC muscle scale, and standard blood pressure and visual acuity assessments. Statistical analyses included ANCOVA, with effect sizes reported.
Results: The experimental group demonstrated improvements in stroke severity, muscle strength, and visual acuity; however, several outcomes did not reach statistical significance (e.g., MCS, p = 0.075; SBP, p = 0.092). No significant group differences in body weight were observed. Dropout rates and missing data were not reported.
Conclusion: While some outcomes showed promising trends, the lack of statistical significance for several key measures limits the strength of conclusions. Caution is warranted when interpreting these findings, and further studies are needed with improved methodology and larger samples.
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