Stretching After Heat But Not After Cold Decreases Contractures After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Clin Orthop Relat Res, 2016 · DOI: 10.1007/s11999-016-5030-x · Published: August 16, 2016

Simple Explanation

Contractures are common after neurologic disorders. This study investigates if heat or cold applied before stretching helps to improve knee flexion contractures in rats with spinal cord injuries. The researchers compared different treatments: heat alone, cold alone, stretching alone, stretching after heat, and stretching after cold to see which was most effective. The study found that stretching after heat was the most effective method for improving range of motion and the muscular and articular factors contributing to contractures in the rats.

Study Duration

1 week

Participants

42 adolescent male Wistar rats

Evidence Level

Animal study

Key Findings

1
Stretching after heat was more effective than stretching alone at increasing ROM.
2
Stretching after heat was the most effective for percentage improvement of muscular and articular factors of contractures.
3
Stretching after heat showed the greatest increases in posterior synovial intima length.

Research Summary

This study investigates the effects of heat, cold, and stretching on knee flexion contractures in rats with spinal cord injuries, aiming to determine the most effective combination for treatment. The study found that stretching after heat was the most effective method for improving range of motion and the muscular and articular factors contributing to contractures. The researchers suggest that stretching after heat is clinically applicable to contractures derived from spastic paralyses, but further clinical studies are warranted.

Practical Implications

Clinical Practice

The findings support the idea that stretching after heat can improve the loss of ROM and histopathologic features of joint tissues, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for contractures.

Further Research

Further studies are warranted to determine if the findings are clinically applicable to humans with neurologic disorders.

Treatment Strategies

Heat combined with stretching may be more beneficial than cold combined with stretching for improving ROM and addressing muscular and articular factors in contractures after spinal cord injury.

Study Limitations

1
The thermal stimulation may not affect deeper tissues of muscles or periarticular structures.
2
Extension ROM after spinal cord injury, it did not recover to the same extent as that in the normal rat.
3
The results obtained in this study are limited to rats with spinal cord injury who were under anesthesia.

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