Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Improves Muscle Strength, Biomechanics of Movement, and Functional Mobility in Children With Chronic Neurological Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Chronic neurological disorders (CNDs) generally produce deleterious effects on the musculoskeletal system and can affect physical activity and increase sedentary behavior in children, hindering the execution of training programs and the attainment of a correct dose of exercise. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on skeletal muscle and then on biomechanics of movement, functional mobility, strength, spasticity, muscle architecture, and body composition of children and adolescents with CNDs and chronic diseases.

Methods: The search was conducted in April 2020 in PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, without publication period restriction. Publications investigating the effect of NMES on children and adolescents with CNDs and other chronic diseases were independently selected by 2 researchers. One author independently extracted data from the studies selected, and a second author cross-checked.

Results: Eighteen studies with 595 participants aged between 3 and 14 years were included. Quality assessment showed that 50% of the studies presented a low risk of bias. The pooled effect of NMES on gross motor functional measure, calculated as a standardized mean difference using a random effects model, was 0.41 (95% CI = 0.19-0.64).

Conclusion: The use of NMES programs for children diagnosed with cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, and obstetric injury of the brachial plexus was effective in improving muscle strength, biomechanics of movement, and functional mobility.

Impact: NMES can be a useful tool to prevent the reduction of mobility that results from CNDs.