Impact of shoulder subluxation on peripheral nerve conduction and function of hemiplegic upper extremity in stroke patients: A retrospective, matched-pair study

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To investigate the impact of shoulder subluxation (SS) on peripheral nerve conduction and function of the hemiplegic upper extremity (HUE) in poststroke patients.

Methods: Thirty post-stroke patients were selected (SS group: 15 patients, non-SS group: 15 patients, respectively). Evaluation of nerve conduction in upper limbs: the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude and latency of suprascapular, axillary, musculocutaneous, radial, median, and ulnar nerves; the motor and sensory conduction velocity and the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude of median, ulnar, and radial nerves. The Brunnstrom stage scale was used to evaluate the HUE motor function.

Results: Compared with the healthy side, the CMAP and SNAP amplitudes of tested nerves on the HUE in both groups were lower, and the CMAP latency of the suprascapular, axillary and musculocutaneous nerves on the HUE in the SS group was longer (P < 0.05). Compared with the HUE in non-SS group, the CMAP amplitude of tested nerves (except ulnar) was decreased more (P < 0.05), the motor conduction velocity of the median nerve was lower (P < 0.05), and the Brunnstrom stage of the HUE was lower in SS group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Stroke may lead to extensive abnormal nerve conduction on the HUE, and SS may aggravate the abnormality, which may disturb the recovery of upper limb function.

KEYWORDS:

• Stroke
• shoulder subluxation
• peripheral nerve conduction
• upper extremity function
• electroneuromyographic

Acknowledgments

We thank all the staff who kindly helped in facilitating the experiment.

Disclosure statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Additional information

Funding

No funder supported the study.

Notes on contributors

Xiangzhe Li

Xiangzhe Li, MD, is a rehabilitation physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. He is interested in neurorehabilitation and electromyography study.

Zhiwei Yang

Zhiwei Yang, MD, is a physiotherapist from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. He is interested in motor control and electromyography study.

Sheng Wang

Sheng Wang, MD, Ph.D., is a physiotherapist from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. He is interested in motor and balance function in stroke rehabilitation.

Panpan Xu

Panpan Xu, MD, is a neurologist from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in hemiplegic shoulder pain and neurorehabilitation study.

Tianqi Wei

Tianqi Wei, MD, is a rehabilitation physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in cognitive rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation study.

Xiaomeng Zhao

Xiaomeng Zhao, MD, is a traditional Chinese physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in dysphagia rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation study.

Xifeng Li

Xifeng Li, MD, is a physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in sarcopenia and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation study.

Yanmei Zhang

Yanmei Zhang, MD, is a traditional Chinese physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and neurorehabilitation study.

Ying Li

Ying Li, MD, is a physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation study.

Na Mei

Na Mei, MD, is a rehabilitation nurse practitioner from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. She is interested in comprehensive rehabilitation nursing study.

Qinfeng Wu

Qinfeng Wu, MD, Ph.D., is a rehabilitation physician from the Affiliated Suzhou Science & Technology Town Hospital of Nanjing Medical University. He is interested in neurorehabilitation and musculoskeletal rehabilitation study.