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1 4 . H O W T O U S E T H E W I R E L E S S P R O F E S S I O N A L O N S P E C I F I C
I N D I C AT I O N S
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In fact, Hoffmann’s reflex in a muscle, produced by a stimulus, is reduced in amplitude when the motor
nerve of the antagonist muscle is stimulated.
NMES is an effective technique in the treatment of spasticity, not only because it reduces hypertonia, but
also because it allows strengthening of the antagonist muscle as well preventive´or curative stretching of
the retraction of the spastic muscles; this is much more effective than the conventional passive methods.
However, care must be taken in the treatment of spasticity to ensure that NMES is used correctly
toachieve a positive effect. It is particularly necessary to avoid stimulating spastic muscle by diffusion,
which can occur when the electrical energy is too high. It is also necessary that the antagonist muscle
is tensed extremely gradually to avoid over-stretching the spastic muscle and thereby increasing its
spasticity. This is achieved through the gradual rate of contraction specific to the Spasticity programme.
Another particularity of this programme is the absence of all low frequencies, which can also increase
spasticity by generating repeated micro-stretches of the spastic muscle.
Spasticity mainly affects the antigravity muscles of the lower limbs and the flexor muscles of the upper
limbs, but out of these muscles, the ones most affected and the severity of spasticity vary greatly
depending on the type of disorder of the cerebro-spinal tract (hemiplegia, tetraplegia, paraplegia or
multiple sclerosis). Moreover, for the same type of disorder of the cerebro-spinal tract, the severity of
spasticity and the muscles in which it is most apparent varies from one patient to another. For these
reasons, each case has to be considered individually. It is therefore the task of the therapist to carry out an
accurate clinical evaluation of each patient in order to select the muscles on which the treatment is to be
concentrated.
In general, spasticity mainly affects the following muscles:
In the lower limbs:
- triceps surae
- quadriceps
- adductors
- gluteus maximus
In the shoulder:
- pectoralis major
- latissimus dorsi
In the upper limbs:
- biceps brachii
- flexors of the fingers and wrist
In the treatment of spasticity, NMES is applied to one or more of the following muscles, depending on
the patient: tibialis anterior, extensor of the toes, lateral peroneal, hamstrings, tensor fascia lata, deltoid,
supraspinatus, triceps brachii, extensors of the fingers and wrist.