Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37149017›Full record

ArticleArchives of physical medicine and rehabilitation2023

Daily Vibrotactile Stimulation Exhibits Equal or Greater Spasticity Relief Than Botulinum Toxin in Stroke.

Caitlyn Seim, Bingxian Chen, Chuzhang Han, David Vacek, Alexis Lowber, Maarten Lansberg, Allison M Okamura

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Exploring the Impact of Muscle Vibration Therapy in Neurologic Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025
    Review
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Caitlyn SeimDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA. Electronic address: caitlyn.seim@gmail.com.
Bingxian ChenDepartment of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Chuzhang HanDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
David VacekDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Alexis LowberDepartment of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Maarten LansbergDepartment of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Allison M OkamuraDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Stanford University · US

Funding

Developing a wearable computing device to provide vibrotactile stimulation for spasticity relief post-strokeF32HD100104 · NICHD · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI SEIM, CAITLYN · 2019 to 2021
$130k
NICHD NIH HHS F32 HD100104
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo test the feasibility and efficacy of the VibroTactile Stimulation (VTS) Glove, a wearable device that provides VTS to the impaired limb to reduce spastic hypertonia.

designProspective 2-arm intervention study-including 1 group of patients who use Botulinum toxin (BTX-A) for spasticity and 1 group of patients who do not use BTX-A.

settingParticipants were recruited through rehabilitation and neurology clinics.

participantsPatients with chronic stroke (N=20; mean age=54 years, mean time since stroke=6.9 years). Patients who were previously receiving the standard of care (BTX-A injection) were eligible to participate and started the intervention 12 weeks after their last injection.

interventionParticipants were instructed to use the VTS Glove for 3 hours daily, at home or during everyday activities, for 8 weeks.

main outcome measuresSpasticity was assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale and the Modified Tardieu Scale at baseline and then at 2-week intervals for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes were the difference from baseline and at week 8 (end of VTS Glove use) and week 12 (4 weeks after stopping VTS Glove use). Patients who were receiving BTX-A were also assessed during the 12 weeks preceding the start of VTS Glove use to monitor the effect of BTX-A on spastic hypertonia. Range of motion and participant feedback were also studied.

resultsA clinically meaningful difference in spastic hypertonia was found during and after daily VTS Glove use. Modified Ashworth and Modified Tardieu scores were reduced by an average of 0.9 (P=.0014) and 0.7 (P=.0003), respectively, at week 8 of daily VTS Glove use, and by 1.1 (P=.00025) and 0.9 (P=.0001), respectively, 1 month after stopping VTS Glove use. For participants who used BTX-A, 6 out of 11 showed greater change in Modified Ashworth ratings during VTS Glove use (mean=-1.8 vs mean=-1.6 with BTX-A) and 8 out of 11 showed their lowest level of symptoms during VTS Glove use (vs BTX-A).

conclusionsDaily stimulation from the VTS Glove provides relief of spasticity and hypertonia. For more than half of the participants who had regularly used BTX-A, the VTS Glove provided equal or greater symptom relief.

Indexed as

Botulinum Toxins, Type ANeuromuscular AgentsStrokeStroke RehabilitationHumansMiddle AgedMuscle SpasticityProspective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBotulinum Toxins, Type ANeuromuscular AgentsBoNT-ABotulinum Toxin ABTX-AMuscle spasticityRehabilitationStimulationStrokeStroke rehabilitationVibrationWearable devices

Identifiers

PMID37149017
PMCPMC11326884
OpenAlexW4368373084

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.