Immediate effects of dermatomal electrical stimulation on task-oriented movements in patients with chronic hemiplegia

[Purpose] This study was conducted to find out the immediate effects of dermatomal stimulation combined with functional tasks of the hand, and to determine whether it could be used as a modality for functional task training for chronic hemiplegic patients. [Subjects] Ten stroke patients with spasticity of the paretic finger flexors greater than or equal to G1 on the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), a Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) score greater than or equal to poor⁺, Brunnstrom stage higher or equal to stage 3, and stroke onset more than 12 months ago were recruited. [Methods] Subjects performed three given tasks (Box and Block test, Velcro pegboard, and stacking cones) in a random sequence with and without dermatomal electrical stimulation, which was applied to the C8 dermatome. Each task was repeated 6 times. [Results] The immediate effects of applying task-oriented movements combined with dermatomal electrical stimulation resulted in a significant improvement in hand function. [Conclusion] Electrical stimulation of the dermatomes combined with task-oriented movements has the potential to improve the hand functions of chronic hemiplegic patients.