gms | German Medical Science

Background: Tensiomyography (TMG) has been used to assess muscular characteristics of the lower extremity. However, in stroke patients, the TMG characteristics have not been reported to date.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the functional behavior and stiffness of muscles in hemiplegic stroke patients.

Method: Fifteen hemiplegic stroke patients were recruited. The evaluation included muscular function by TMG and muscle stiffness by sonoelastography. Functional elements of the lower extremity muscle groups (Rectus femoris, RF, Biceps femoris, BF, Gastrocnemius, GCM and Tibialis anterior, TA) were evaluated and the following parameters were assessed from muscular point of view: contraction time (Tc), sustain time (Ts), delay time (Td), relax time (Tr) and displacement maximal amplitude (Dm) after electrical stimulation. We performed comparative analysis of between sonoelastographic data of sound side and affected side. Then, we checked the correlation between TMG parameters and sonoelastographic parameters.

Results/findings: There were no significant differences in the majority of the TMG parameters between affected and sound side. The RF-Tr (p=0.008), RF-Dm (p=0.041) and TA-Tr (p=0.05) were decreased, compared to the sound side. At the affected side of BF, GCM and TA, the analysis of color histogram revealed a greater intensity of red (p=0.030, p=0.001, p=0.004) and lower intensity of blue (p=0.004, p=0.001, p=0.026) than sound side. In affected side, red intensity of TA is correlated with the RF-Tc (r=-0.566, p=0.044) and TA-Ts (r=0.618, p=0.043) and of GCM is correlated with GCM-Tc (r=0.714, 0.047) and GCM-Tr (r=-0.786, p=0.021).

Discussion and conclusions: The results of our study help understanding muscle physiologic change associated with CNS lesion. These are useful to detect muscle dysfunction and assess the effect of neuromuscular rehabilitation in stroke patients.