ABSTRACT
Spasticity caused by stroke is a cause of functional disability of the upper extremity. The aim of this study was to check the effect of cryotherapy associated with kinesiotherapy and electrical stimulation on the palmar grip strength of the spastic limb of stroke patients in the chronic phase. Forty patients whose mean age was 60.5 (±9.45) years old and who had spastic hemiparesis participated in the study, having been randomly sorted into group A (GA): submitted to cryotherapy on the wrist flexors and kinesiotherapy on the wrist flexors and wrist extensors, and Group B (GB): submitted to electrical stimulation on the wrist extensors. Palmar grip strength was evaluated by a bulb dynamometer before, after 16 sessions and one month after the end of treatment. The results showed that there was an increase in palmar grip strength in GA (p=0.0244) and GB (p=0.0144) after treatment, with maintenance one month after its completion (p=0.6002 and 0.3066, respectively), and no statistical difference was observed between them. The findings indicate that both therapeutic resources were effective in increasing the study participants’ palmar grip strength.
Keywords
Stroke; Cryotherapy; Muscle Spasticity; Electrical Stimulation