Effects of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES) on Hand Function in Stroke Patients Sharma Pawan1, Sutaria Jayshree M2, Zambare Prajakta3 1Assistant Professor, Shri U.S.B. College of Physiotherapy, Abu-Road 2Lecturer, Government Physiotherapy College, Government Spine Institute, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 3Assistant Professor, Padmashree Dr. D.Y. Patil College of Physiotherapy, Pune Online published on 19 June, 2015. Abstract Background Motor dysfunction after stroke is a major reason which disables a person in performing activities of daily living (ADL). During the process of natural recovery affected upper limb and lower limb recovers but recovery of the hand function often remains incomplete and can lead to a major disability for a person. A lot of treatment options are available to solve this problem and NMES appears to be a promising and easily available among them. Objective To assess the effectiveness of NMES along with Conventional Physiotherapy on Hand Function rehabilitation in Stroke Patients. Methodology 30 (thirty) patients were divided in a consecutive manner into two groups for the study; one group received conventional treatment (Control Group) and other for conventional treatment as well as NMES to wrist and finger extensors (Experimental group). An assessment was done prior to starting of treatment and after 4 weeks of treatment. Results At the end of 4 weeks experimental group showed significant improvement in Block to Box Test (p<0.05), Fugl Meyer Assessment Tool for Wrist and Hand (p<0.05) and Grip Strength (p<0.05) as compared to the control group except Action Research Arm Test(p>0.05). Conclusion Conventional exercise therapy and NMES to wrist and finger extensors is more effective than Conventional exercise therapy alone in improving hand function in stroke patients. Top Keywords Stroke, Hand Function, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (NMES). Top |