Effects of percutaneous neuromodulation on the sciatic nerve in hamstring muscles. Case series
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Abstract
Introduction: After an injury or surgery, one of the problems a patient faces is muscle inhibition and alterations in the activation pattern of the muscles. Innovative invasive physiotherapy techniques such as Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Neuromodulation (UGPN) have emerged in recent years to improve the quality and timing of treatment for this type of injury.
Case presentation: The objective of the study was to evaluate the activation of the hamstring muscles using dynamometry after the application of UGPN on the sciatic nerve in healthy subjects. The study was conducted on 8 subjects, of whom 5 were women and 3 were men. The variables measured in the study were strength and impulse, which were measured at three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 24 hours after the intervention.
Results: Significant differences in muscle strength were observed immediately after the intervention (p=0.0078) and at 24 hours (p=0.0156). Regarding impulse, significant differences were also found after the intervention (p=0.0156) and at 24 hours (p=0.0391).
Conclusions: The study shows that the ‘UGPN’ technique improves muscle strength and power immediately after the intervention, with the improvements maintained at 24 hours.
Keywords
- muscle activation
- sciatic
- ultrasound-guided
- strength
- impulse
- hamstring
- percutaneous neuromodulation
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