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Health

Muscle zapping during exercise helps people recover after a stroke

Electrically stimulating the muscles of people who've had a stroke while they do rehab exercises improves their arm movements, a small trial has found

By Clare Wilson

12 June 2024

During the experiment, electrodes were applied over the scalp to record brain activity while a computer screen indicated when to attempt moving

Robin Ritter/Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology Magdeburg

A new kind of rehabilitation therapy for people who have had a stroke that electrically stimulates muscles while they exercise has helped improve their arm function in a small trial. The treatment involves triggering muscles to contract at the same time that people try to move their limbs voluntarily, which seems to encourage nerve pathways to regrow in the brain.

“Physiotherapy is the only option we have for helping people recover limb…

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