Adjunctive neuromuscular electrical stimulation and cognitive-motor interference during gait in older inpatients.
Gilles Loggia, Evrim Gökçe, Alyzée Henry et al.
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In 30 seconds
This exploratory analysis of a pragmatic pilot trial examined whether adjunctive neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) was associated with changes in cognitive-motor interference during gait among older inpatients undergoing rehabilitation. Allocation was quasi-experimental with partial randomization; 19 participants had complete data (NMES, n = 10; usual care, n = 9). After a three-week intervention, dual-task gait cost decreased more in the NMES group, with a Time × Group interaction (β = 20.68 percentage points, 95% CI [7.92, 33.44], p = 0.003). However, baseline gait cost was markedly higher with NMES, limiting causal interpretation.
Key findings
- Baseline dual-task gait cost was 39.0% with NMES versus 16.8% with usual care.
- The Time × Group interaction indicated a greater reduction with NMES (β = 20.68 percentage points, 95% CI [7.92, 33.44], p = 0.003).
- Sensitivity analyses supported the change-based signal, but the unadjusted post-intervention comparison was null.
Why it matters
Dual-task gait cost may capture cognitive-motor interference relevant to mobility assessment during rehabilitation. The observed change suggests this measure could be responsive to intervention, but the small exploratory comparison and baseline imbalance mean the result is not evidence that NMES caused improvement. The findings support further evaluation of the outcome in more rigorous trials.
What to keep in mind
Only 19 participants had complete data, allocation was partially randomized, and baseline dual-task gait cost differed substantially between groups, limiting causal interpretation.