ArticlePhysiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy2025
Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and In-Bed Leg Cycling Preserve Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Patients.
Article in Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Skeletal Muscle Strength in Patients on the Heart Transplant Waiting List: Are There Any Associations with Instrumental Examination Data?Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Early Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation and In-Bed Leg Cycling Preserve Quadriceps Femoris Muscle Thickness in Critically Ill Patients.Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
background and purposeMuscle atrophy occurs early in critical illness, particularly in the leg muscles, which are most vulnerable to weakness due to immobility in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, the efficacy of early neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and in-bed leg cycling added to standardized rehabilitation as a strategy to prevent quadriceps femoris muscle atrophy in critically ill patients remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the effects of early NMES and in-bed leg cycling on quadriceps muscle thickness (QMT) and muscular strength in critically ill patients.
methodsThis prospective quasi-experimental study included 36 critically ill adult patients within the first 24 h of mechanical ventilation after admission. Patients were allocated into three groups: NMES added to standardized rehabilitation group (n = 12), in-bed cycling exercise added to standardized rehabilitation group (n = 12) or standardized rehabilitation group (n = 12). The following outcomes were assessed: QMT (ultrasound) and global muscle strength (Medical Research Council-MRC-Sum Score).
resultsThe standardized rehabilitation group showed a significant reduction in QMT (p = 0.001). The NMES group (p < 0.01) and in-bed cycling group (p < 0.001) preserved QMT compared to the standardized rehabilitation group. An increase in global muscle strength was observed in the NMES (p < 0.001) and in-bed cycling groups (p < 0.001), although no differences were found among the three groups. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that NMES and in-bed cycling exercise may be effective in preserving QMT in critically ill patients. Larger trials are required to confirm the efficacy of NMES and in-bed cycling exercise on muscle mass preservation and improvement in global muscle strength in ICU patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
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.