COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF MAGNESIUM SULPHATE IONTOPHORESIS ON POST-STROKE ELBOW FLEXORS SPASTICITY

Abstract

Background: Controversy continues to trail the best physiotherapeutic approach to adopt in effectively managing hypertonicity in stroke patients. Magnesium sulphate is a muscle relaxant whose efficacy is relatively unexplored, and is unknown if it will be more effective than conventional cryotherapy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of cryotherapy, magnesium sulphate iontophoresis and the combination of both on the spastic elbow flexor muscles of stroke survivors.

Material and methods: Fifty-two stroke survivors were purposively recruited for the pre and post experimental study. They were randomly assigned to three groups, and the interventions were cryotherapy alone, magnesium sulphate iontophoresis (40 mA- mins) only and combination of both. The interventions were administered twice a week for six weeks for each group. The Modified Ashworth scale was used to grade the spasticity at baseline, 3rd and 6th week. Descriptive and Inferential statistics of Kruskal Wallis and Friedman tests were used to analyze the data obtained at p<0.05.

Results: Cyotherapy and Magnesium sulphate iontophoresis significantly (p = 0.003 and p = 0.02 respectively) reduced elbow flexors spasticity at 6th week. However, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) when the three interventions were compared.

Conclusion: The three interventions were effective in alleviating spasticity of the elbow flexors of stroke survivors but none was superior over the other.