J Korean Phys Ther.  2021 Apr;33(2):91-96. 10.18857/jkpt.2021.33.2.91.

Effect of Cryotherapy on Muscle Strength and Balance on the Ankle Joint in Patients with Stroke

• Park J

• KMID: 2519959
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.18857/jkpt.2021.33.2.91

Abstract

Purpose
This study investigated the effects of cryotherapy on the ankle joint muscle strength and balance ability in stroke patients with ankle joint muscles.
Methods
In this study, 20 patients with chronic stroke were recruited from a rehabilitation hospital. The patients were divided into two groups: a cryotherapy group (10 patients) and a control group (10 patients). The cryotherapy group performed sit-to-stand training for 15 minutes and then cryotherapy for the minutes. In the control group, after sit-to-stand training for 15 minutes, blocked cryotherapy was provided for three minutes. In both groups, the interventions were provided five times a week for three weeks. The strength of the ankle joint muscles was measured before and after the training using the Biodex systems 3. The static balance ability was measured using balancia software, and the dynamic balance ability was measured by performing the sit-to-stand test (FTSST) five times.
Results
After the training periods, the cryotherapy group showed significant improvement in the ankle dorsiflexor strength, ankle plantarflexor strength, weight distribution of the affected side, and FTSST compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion
Based on these results, cryotherapy could be considered an effective method to improve the strength of ankle joint muscles. Cryotherapy improves muscle strength as it increases the motor neuron excitability. Therefore, cryotherapy may be considered to improve the strength of the ankle joint muscles of stroke patients.

Keyword

Balance; Cryotherapy; Muscle strength; Stroke