Lumbar repetitive magnetic stimulation reduces spastic tone increase of the lower limbs

Study Design: Comparison of spinal lesion subjects and normal subjects. Objective: To investigate the effects of a paravertebral repetitive magnetic stimulation on spastic tone increase of the lower limbs. Setting: Munich, Germany. Methods: We compared the effects in 15 patients with different spinal lesions and in 16 healthy subjects. The spastic tone increase was evaluated clinically with the Ashworth scale and apparatively with the pendulum test, both at fixed times before and after stimulation. Unilateral stimulation was applied to the lumbar nerve roots L3 and L4 of the clinically more spastic leg. Results: The spastic tone decreased significantly in the interval between 4 and 24 h after stimulation. This effect was slightly more pronounced in the contralateral extremity. Furthermore, the stimulation motor threshold of the patients was significantly raised. Conclusion: Repetitive magnetic unilateral stimulation has a positive effect on spastic tone increase due to spinal lesions, causing a decrease that lasts for about 1 day not only on the ipsilateral but also on the contralateral side.