Effects of postoperative electrical stimulation on quadriceps muscular atrophy in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury. A retrospective study.

BACKGROUND

Lower limb disuse atrophy often occurs in patients with incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) during peri-operative periods. Electrical stimulation (ES) is a novel method that can benefit muscular atrophy. This study aimed to determine whether ES is the most effective method for postoperative management of muscular atrophy in patients with incomplete cervical SCI.

METHODS

A total of 80 incomplete cervical SCI patients with single-sided lower limb myasthenia were enrolled in this study from April 2020 to April 2025. Of these, 40 patients were treated with electrical stimulation (ES group), and the remaining 40 patients were treated with traditional physiotherapy (P group). Data were collected from their medical records. Baseline characteristics, quadriceps muscle thickness, and muscle strength grading were measured at the beginning of the study and again at the 2-week follow-up.

RESULTS

Preoperatively, there were no significant differences in age, gender, height, weight, quadriceps muscle thickness, or muscle strength grading between the two groups (p > 0.05). This study found that quadriceps muscle thickness in the two groups significantly decreased at 1- and 2-week follow-up visits. However, quadriceps muscle thickness in the ES group was significantly greater than that in the P group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

ES could be a safe and effective postoperative treatment for muscle disuse atrophy in patients with incomplete cervical SCI; however, further research is needed to prove its efficacy.