Background: Burn leads to catabolic process in the form of severe muscle weakness, loss of mass and function. So, it is important to maintain the muscle strength of patients with burn.
Objective: To evaluate the effect of Russian current stimulation on the peak torque of quadriceps muscles of healed burned patients.
Materials and Methods: Forty volunteer burned male subjects participated in this study, they were randomly allocated into two equal groups: (1) Control group: received physical therapy in the form of splinting, massage, stretching, range of motion exercise, functional training for ambulation and activities of daily living. (2) Russian group: received 20 min of Russian stimulation, in addition to physical therapy of the control group, day after day for 4 weeks. Concentric peak torque of quadriceps at angular velocity 30°/s and ambulation speed measured before and after interventions.
Results: After 4 weeks of treatment, the quadriceps peak torque of Russain group and Control group significantly increased (p= 0.000), the post value of peak torque of Russian group was significantly higher than the post value of control group (p = 0.010). Moreover, there was significant increase in ambulation speed of Russain and Control group (p= 0.000), the post value of ambulation speed of Russian group was significantly higher than the post value of Control group (p = 0.004).
Conclusion: Application of Russian current stimulation in addition to conventional physical therapy increased the quadriceps muscle peak torque and ambulation speed for patients with anterior thigh burn.
Key words: Burns, Russian current, Muscle strength, Isokinetic
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