Stretching-Positioned Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Yields Superior Short-Term Efficacy for Post-Stroke Upper-Limb Spasticity: A Retrospective Comparative Study

14 April 2026 : Clinical Research

Jing Ouyang

^{BCE 1}, Jian Xu^{BE 1}, Changsheng Li^{EF 1}, Yangzheng Li^{DF 1}, Zhipin Liao^{FG 1}, Haixin Song^{AG 1*}

DOI: 10.12659/MSM.951444

Med Sci Monit 2026; 32:e951444

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Table 4 Complete longitudinal data for all outcome measures (mean±SD) at all assessed time points.

Outcome measure	Time point	Group A (stretching, n=48)	Group B (relaxation, n=48)	Between-group P-value
	Baseline	2.42±0.63	2.57±0.41	0.170
	Immediately post	1.65±0.57^*	2.06±0.49^a
	6 hours post	1.04±0.51^*	1.43±0.62
	12 hours post	0.97±0.25^*	1.39±0.38
	48 hours post	1.80±0.30^*	2.15±0.41
	Baseline	25.37±4.18	24.51±3.62	0.284
	Immediately post	16.76±3.21^*	19.09±3.48^a
	6 hours post	11.16±3.28^*	15.62±3.19
	12 hours post	10.71±3.24^*	14.82±3.06
	48 hours post	19.72±3.46^*	22.54±3.12
	Baseline	23.86±1.49	22.47±1.35
	Immediately post	15.76±2.38^*	18.28±2.05^a
	6 hours post	10.35±2.06^*	13.08±2.16
	12 hours post	9.98±1.62^*	12.73±1.95
	48 hours post	19.06±2.41^*	20.45±1.83
	Baseline	25.71±4.29	25.26±4.18	0.604
	Immediately post	29.48±3.65^*	27.51±3.74^a
	6 hours post	32.79±2.86^*	30.17±2.94
	12 hours post	33.01±2.87^*	31.06±4.01
	48 hours post	30.59±3.62^*	27.96±4.18
	Baseline	32.08±2.15	31.47±2.06	0.159
	Immediately post	34.89±2.41^*	33.74±2.59^a
	6 hours post	37.51±2.39^*	35.24±2.08
	12 hours post	38.09±2.64^*	36.15±2.49
	48 hours post	35.15±2.46^*	33.76±2.18
	Baseline	86.34±1.27	86.72±1.05	0.114
	Immediately post	92.89±1.23^a	89.27±1.35^a	<0.001
	6 hours post	95.73±1.64^*	93.08±1.52
	12 hours post	96.15±1.28^*	93.58±1.67
	48 hours post	93.36±1.72^*	90.54±1.68
Within-group comparison symbols (vs. Baseline): ^a P ^* P EMG – electromyography; FMA-UE – Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity; MEPS – Mayo Elbow Performance Score; ROM – range of motion.

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