Effects of Electrical Stimulation in People with Post-Concussion Syndromes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Post-concussion syndrome (PCS) is a complex disorder with various symp-toms. There is limited evidence to support that any intervention enhances re-covery after a concussion. This pilot study aimed to examine the efficacy of neck paraspinal muscles electrical stimulation (ES) in conjunction with phys-ical therapy (PT) on reducing the severity of post concussive symptoms. Twenty-four individuals with PCS were randomly assigned to the ES group (PT + ES) or the control group (PT only). Both groups received the interven-tion twice a week for eight weeks. Clinical measures including the Concussion Signs/Symptoms Checklist, balance error scoring system, King-Devick test, ImPACT, and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion were used to eva-luate the symptoms. We investigated the recovery rate by calculating slopes of changes over time for each participant. A changing slope was derived by li-nearly fitting the symptoms severity over time with the initial severity score as the intercept. Significant overall improvement was observed in both groups after the interventions. There was no significant difference seen in total symptom recovery rate between two groups (−1.49 ± 1.59 versus −1.2 ± 1.56, p = 0.32). The cognitive symptoms recovery rate of the ES group was faster than the control group (−0.5 ± 0.49 and −0.13 ± 0.46 respectively, p = 0.04). Physical therapy targeting the cervical region is beneficial for persons with PCS. Moreover, peripheral electrical stimulation on the paraspinal muscles surrounding the neck region could potentially advance the cognitive function recovery of persons with PCS.