71. Muscle Repetitive Magnetic Stimulation in the rehabilitation protocol: Assessment of feasibility and efficacy in normal subjects and in patients with muscle disease

Abstract

The voluntary exercise in the rehabilitation protocol for patients with significant disabilities can be limited by several factors. The use of electrical stimulation (SE) appears useful but limited in that poorly tolerated by most individuals. Repetitive Magnetic Muscle Stimulation (RMMS) allows to stimulate the muscle effectively without causing pain. Our aim was to compare: (a) the muscular contraction induced by the SE to that obtained by means SMRM (b) compare the level of discomfort. Recording the response from M quadriceps muscle and maximal voluntary strength (MVS) with isokinetic machine obtained by SE and SMRM. We recruited 10 healthy volunteers, 11 patients with COPD, 6 patients with critically-ill myopathy–neuropathy (CRIMYNE). In both healthy subjects and COPD patients the SMRM has allowed to obtain a muscular contraction at least 12% of the MVS unlike the SE with which it has never obtained a measurable force. The SMRM proved to be well tolerated by all subjects in contrast to the SE. No mechanical response was instead obtained in patients with severe CRIMYNE. SMRM proved more effective and tolerated in producing muscle strength measured with respect to the SE, and could be a potential application for the recovery of muscle strength in patients with acquired neuromuscular disease.