Practical report of the combined Portable Spring Balancer and electrical stimulation therapy in severe upper-limb hemiplegia after acute stroke

Abstract

Rehabilitation for upper-limb hemiplegia caused by stroke is important because it reduces independence in activities of daily living. The effectiveness of sling therapy such as the Portable Spring Balancer (PSB) and electrical stimulation therapy using the Integrated Volitional Electrical Stimulator (IVES) has been shown, though there are few reports of combined training using PSB and IVES electrical stimulation therapy on the infraspinatus muscle (combined training). Therefore, we report a case in which we practiced combined training on a patient with severe upper-limb hemiplegia in the acute phase caused by stroke. Combined training was performed from X+15 to X+28 days. During training, shoulder shrug-like movements were inhibited, and no pain appeared. The patient showed upper limb function improvement. The amount and quality of the upper-limb hemiplegia performance during ADL situations can reduce independence in the activities of daily living.