Low Frequency Electrical Stimulation in Spinal Muscular Atrophy: a Case Study Report

Based on previous published data on neuromuscular disorders, we hypothesized that subcutaneous low frequency electrical stimulation of atrophic muscles in Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) could-at least partially-restore muscle force and function and prevent muscle contracture. The objective of this pre-study was to test these hypotheses and to evaluate whether the technique was feasible and usable on such patients. One patient received left quadriceps (LQ) stimulation on a daily basis during one year. Qualitative observations show an increase of knee extension compared to non-stimulated side. After one year, the right quadriceps (RQ) was stimulated whereas the initial one was not stimulated anymore. The preliminary qualitative results performed over 3 months show an increase in joint torque of the stimulated le RQ while LQ torque decreased slightly