Deans' stroke musings: Muscle energy techniques for post-stroke spasticity: mechanisms and clinical applications

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.

Monday, May 4, 2026

Muscle energy techniques for post-stroke spasticity: mechanisms and clinical applications

You still incompetently haven't cured spasticity! Survivors want it CURED; not 'managed'! I'd fire you all for not understanding survivor requirements! Comeuppance is going to be a bitch when you are the 1 in 4 per WHO that has a stroke? Then you just might want 100% recovery. Better start that research NOW!

Muscle energy techniques for post-stroke spasticity: mechanisms and clinical applications

1. Department of Rehabilitation, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Affiliated Jiaxing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China
2. Central Laboratory of Molecular Medicine Research Center, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Affiliated Jiaxing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China

Abstract

Spasticity is a common and disabling complication after stroke, often leading to progressive joint stiffness, restricted movement, and reduced functional independence. Current management strategies for post-stroke spasticity (PSS) are limited by inconsistent efficacy and a lack of standardized protocols. Muscle energy techniques (MET) have emerged as a promising non-invasive approach, though their mechanisms and clinical value in PSS remain poorly understood. This review summarizes available evidence on MET for PSS based on systematic searches of PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, and WanFang up to November 2025. MET may alleviate PSS through two main routes, namely inhibiting spinal and cortical motor neuron excitability and modulating pain pathways, though the evidence for these mechanisms remains limited and comes mainly from experimental studies. Key clinical studies indicate that MET can reduce(NOT GOOD ENOUGH! It's not a cure, is it?) muscle tone, improve range of motion, and enhance(NOT GOOD ENOUGH! It's not a cure, is it?)functional outcomes, with particularly notable effects on upper limb spasticity. However, heterogeneity in treatment protocols and a shortage of high-quality trials limit the strength of current conclusions. We further discussed critical limitations, including the reliance on active patient participation, which may preclude its use in persons with stroke with significant cognitive or motor deficits. Future directions include standardizing treatment protocols and integrating MET with emerging technologies such as biofeedback and brain-computer interfaces. This review offers a mechanistic and clinical framework to support the evidence-based integration of MET into PSS rehabilitation.