OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on cough capacity and prevention of pulmonary complication in patients with acute cervical cord injury. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS: Twenty-six tetraplegic patients with cervical spinal cord injury, 13 in the NMES therapy group and 13 in the control group. METHODS: NMES was applied to the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major and abdominal muscle. Pulmonary function tests were performed before and after therapy, and at 3 months and 6 months follow-up. The pulmonary complications in this 6-month follow-up period were also recorded. RESULTS: After the 4-week therapy, and at 3 months and 6 months follow-up testing, patients in the NMES therapy group displayed significant improvement in their peak expiratory flow, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, maximal expiratory pressure and maximal inspiratory pressure, compared with those in the control group (p < 0.05). Patients in the NMES therapy group also had fewer pulmonary complications in the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: NMES over the pectoralis and abdominal muscles might improve cough capacity and pulmonary function in cervical spinal cord injury with tetraplegia. This improvement might last for 6 months. With this improvement, pulmonary complications were reduced.

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