肌肉張力異常是上運動神經元疾病患者臨床上常見的症狀。臨床上使用持續肌肉牽張的治療方法，對於小腿後肌已證明具有降低肌張力的療效。然而肌肉牽張的治療方式，卻因痙攣程度量化不易及牽張強度無定量描述而無法有標準的治療規範。之前我們發展出一套能隨時偵測長時間伸張治療的力量，且兼具伸張治療及評估的儀器； 經過驗證後顯示，在評估及治療方均可達到設計的速度與角度。因此，本研究的目的是要比較固定角度、固定力量與正弦牽張三種治療模式對痙攣組織在臨床評估、神經生理及生物力學評估上之治療效果是否有差異。研究結果顯示，固定力量的牽張治療模式不論在臨床評估、神經生理及生物力學評估上之治療效果均較其他兩種治療模式有顯著的差異，此結果可提供臨床人員在降低肌肉張力上另一更有效之治療方式。
Present study compares the effectiveness of three different sustained muscle stretch (SMS) modalities in the suppression of ankle hypertonia. Forty-seven hemiplegic subjects with hypertonic ankle joint were recruited for three SMS modalities of treatments. The hypertonic ankle joints were stretched using an integrated treatment/assessment system capable of conducting three modalities of SMS treatments. The immediate post-treatment effectiveness of each stretching modality was assessed by reference to the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), by measuring the passive range of motion (ROM), and by means of a reactive torque measurement, from which the viscous-elastic component of the ankle joint can be derived. The three SMS modalities yield an increase in the ROM value. Additionally, each stretching method successfully reduces the MAS grade and the elastic and viscous components of the ankle joint (p<0.05). The changes in the ROM, elasticity, and viscosity are most pronounced in the case of the constant-torque stretching modality.
