The effectiveness of electrical stimulation on muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness of gastrocnemius muscle in children with spastic cerebral palsy

Abstract

Introduction/Background The aim of this study was to demonstrate the therapeutic effectiveness of electrical stimulation on muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Material and method Thirty-one lower extremities of 18 patients with spastic cerebral palsy (5 diplegic, 8 quadriplegic and 5 hemiplegic) were evaluated. Biomechanical measurements of gastrocnemius muscle were performed using a myotonometry device. The MyotonPro was used to measure the muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle (medial and lateral parts) on bilateral sides of the patients with diplegic/quadriplegic cerebral palsy and from the paretic side of the patients with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Patients were treated for five days of electrical stimulation (frequency of 50 Hz, pulse duration 300 ms, ramp of 0,5 ms, on:off time 5 s:5 s, session time of 30 minutes) which was applied on the gastrocnemius muscle aiming for the management of spasticity. The measurements were repeated after the fifth session. Results The mean age of the patients were 6.44 ± 3.6 (2.5–13). The mean Gross Motor Function Classification System level of the patients were 3.11 ± 1.6 (1–5) and Ashworth scale were 2.06 ± 0.75 (1–3). The muscle tone and stiffness of medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscle decreased significantly (P Conclusion Our results suggest that electrical stimulation for the treatment of spasticity had improvements on muscle tone, elasticity and stiffness of spastic cerebral palsy patients. And MyotonPro can be used to measure the effects of treatment in spasticity.