Abstract
This study investigated the effect of high intensity pulse irradiation with linear polarized near-infrared rays (HI-LPNR) on muscle tone in patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD).
Twenty participants with CVD were randomly allocated to the intervention group, which received HI-LPNR to the triceps surae on the paretic side, or the control group (10 persons each). Ankle Plantar Flexors Tone Scale (APTS), passive range of motion (PROM) of the ankle dorsiflexion, and passive resistive joint torque of ankle dorsiflexion (PRJT) were measured before and after intervention. The APTS includes stretch reflex (SR), middle range resistance (MR), and final range resistance (FR). The score for each parameter ranged from 0 to 4 (five grades). The differences between the pre- and post-intervention scores for SR, MR, and FR were evaluated in both groups. And, change in PROM and PRJT between the two groups were analyzed.
The MR and FR were significantly reduced after irradiation compared with pre-intervention (p<.05). In intervention group, change of PROM and PRJT were significantly improvement from control group (p<.01). This study suggests that HI-LPNR reduces muscle tone.
