Stroke & recovery
Can timed nerve stimulation boost ankle strength after stroke?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
Syncing physical movements with targeted electrical pulses to the leg nerve significantly increases ankle strength and brain-to-muscle signal delivery in stroke survivors.
Key findings
The active stimulation led to a 7.33 Newtons increase in absolute ankle strength, which represented a 9.75% improvement from their baseline state. The treatment also increased voluntary activation—the strength of the signal the brain sends to the muscle—by 6.99 percentage units. In contrast, the inactive sham stimulation produced no meaningful changes in strength or muscle activation.
Methodology
Researchers conducted a double-blind crossover study with 15 stroke survivors who had leg weakness on one side. Across sessions separated by 7 days, participants completed 50 repetitions of voluntary ankle movement paired with either active nerve stimulation or a fake sham stimulation. The active stimulation was precisely timed to reach the brain at the exact moment the participant prepared to move, as determined by brainwave scans.
Limitations
This small-scale study only evaluated the immediate effects after a treatment session, so it does not show if the strength gains are long-lasting or build up over time. It also cannot confirm whether these lab-based strength improvements translate to real-world mobility improvements like walking. Additionally, because the trial was limited to individuals with chronic stroke who volunteered from the community, the findings may not apply to patients in the acute stages of stroke recovery or those with different types of brain lesions.
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