Repetitive facilitative exercise under continuous neuromuscular electrical stimulation for isolated thumb palsy after acute stroke:

A case study

Abstract

A man in his 70s with isolated thumb palsy was treated with repetitive facilitative exercise under continuous neuromuscular electrical stimulation (RFE under cNMES). The RFE under cNMES was performed on the 6th day from the onset of stroke. The RFE under cNMES patterns for this program was thumb opposition/palmar abduction/radial abduction. The surface electrodes were placed on the flexor pollicis brevis muscle, abductor pollicis brevis muscle, and extensor pollicis longus muscle. The 1-week intervention improved the ability to manipulate objects (9 points by the Action Research Arm Test, 175.62 seconds by the Nine Hole Peg Test), suggesting that selective RFE under cNMES on the thumb may promote recovery from isolated thumb palsy.