Combined botulinum toxin type A and electrical stimulation in individuals with C5-C6 and C6-C7 tetraplegia: a pilot study

Study design Single-blind pilot study. Objectives (1) To evaluate combined BoNT-A injection of spastic antagonistic muscles and ES of wrist extensors in order to improve hand function in incomplete cervical SCI patients. (2) To identify prognostic indicators of hand improvements, as a function of motor levels of injury. Setting Ten incomplete asymmetric SCI tetraplegics admitted to San Camillo Hospital (Venezia, Italy), who were not able to perform automatic grasping, were enrolled in the study. A better motor level (BML) C6-C7 and worse motor level (WML) C5-C6 were assigned to take into account asymmetric motor strength. Methods Administration of 100-200 UI BoNT-A per limb into flexor carpi radialis (FCR), extensor digitorum communis (EDC), brachial biceps (BB), and pectoralis major (PM) was performed. This was in conjunction with 6 weeks of 30-min ES sessions repeated three times a day for 6 days a week in wrist extensor muscles, and 6 weeks of 30-min hand rehabilitation for 6 days a week. Assessments included wrist Range of Motion (w-RoM), Modified Ashworth Score (MAS), Functional Independence Measure motor scores (FIM motor), and Nine Hole Peg Test (NHPT). Results Treatments produced a significant reduction in motor spasticity (MAS) and better dexterity (NHPT) in the C6-C7 BML with respect to the WML cases (p level = 0.007; p = 0.01, respectively). FIM motor scores improved more in BML (median: 20; range 20/22) than in WML (median: 10; range 8/17). Conclusions Hand function improvement, determined by combined BONT-A and ES, was better in C6-C7 than in C5-C6 SCI patients.