The Effect of High Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Combined with Treadmill Training on the Recovery of Lower Limb Function in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with treadmill training on recovery of lower limb function in chronic stroke patients. 13 subjects were randomly assigned to 7 in the experimental group and 6 in the control group. The experimental group was applied 5 Hz high frequency rTMS of 15 minutes and treadmill training of 20 minutes, and the control group was applied sham rTMS of 15 minutes and treadmill training of 20 minutes per day, 5 times a week for a total of 4 weeks. The subjects were assessed for gait speed by 10-meter walk test (10MWT), gait endurance by 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and ability of dynamic stability by Timed up and go test (TUG). A significant improvement in 10MWT, 6MWT and TUG was observed after intervention in the experimental group (p 0.05), and there was a significant improvement in all evaluation items compared to the control group (p 0.05). The results of this study suggest that high frequency rTMS applied to primary motor cortex (M1) combined with treadmill training has a positive effect on the recovery of lower limb function in chronic stroke patients.