Deans' stroke musings: Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation and Motor Function Rehabilitation

Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.

What this blog is for:

My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.

Friday, January 24, 2025

Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation and Motor Function Rehabilitation

Your competent? doctor should immediately create protocols on this to address your spasticity. Is there even a TMS machine in your hospital?

To create peripheral intermittent theta burst stimulation (piTBS), you would use a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device to deliver a series of rapid bursts of magnetic pulses, where each burst consists of three pulses at a high frequency (typically 50 Hz), repeated at a slower "theta" frequency (around 5 Hz), with intervals of rest between trains of bursts, targeting the peripheral nerve area of interest, adjusting the stimulation intensity to elicit a visible muscle contraction while maintaining a comfortable level for the patient; essentially mimicking the pattern of iTBS used in brain stimulation but applied to peripheral nerves.

Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation and Motor Function Rehabilitation

Peripheral magnetic stimulation (PMS) is an innovative non-invasive treatment technique that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerves and muscles. This method has gained attention in the field of rehabilitation, particularly for improving motor function in individuals with neurological impairments, such as those recovering from strokes or dealing with spasticity. Recent research has focused on the effectiveness of various forms of PMS, including repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation (rPMS) and peripheral intermittent theta burst stimulation (piTBS), in enhancing motor function and reducing spasticity in affected patients.

Recent Research

One significant area of research has been the application of rPMS in stroke rehabilitation. A systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that rPMS could effectively reduce spasticity and improve motor function in patients with spastic paralysis. The analysis included multiple studies and found that rPMS had a significant positive effect on spasticity, as measured by the Modified Ashworth Scale, and on overall motor function and activities of daily living, as assessed by the Barthel Index[4]. However, the evidence was deemed low certainty due to the small sample sizes of the included studies, highlighting the need for further research with larger participant groups[1].

Another promising technique, piTBS, was investigated for its ability to reduce spasticity directly in spastic muscles. A randomized controlled trial demonstrated that applying piTBS significantly decreased spasticity and the estimated Botulinum toxin dose required for treatment, suggesting that this method could be a time-efficient alternative to traditional high-frequency stimulation protocols[2].

Additionally, high-frequency rPMS has been explored for its effects on motor performance in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. A clinical trial showed that this method significantly improved motor function in both upper and lower limbs, indicating its potential as a valuable rehabilitation tool in acute and early subacute phases of recovery[5].

Overall, the research indicates that peripheral magnetic stimulation techniques, particularly rPMS and piTBS, hold promise for enhancing motor function and reducing spasticity in patients with neurological impairments. However, the variability in study designs and the need for larger trials suggest that further investigation is essential to establish standardized protocols and confirm the efficacy of these interventions.