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Physical Therapy in Neurorehabilitation: 2nd Edition
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Physical Therapy in Neurorehabilitation: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 182

Editors

Dr. Marianna Papadopoulou

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Physiotherapy, University of West Attica, Ag. Spyridonos Str., 12243 Athens, Greece
2. Second Department of Neurology, Attikon University Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Rimini 1, 12462 Athens, Greece
Interests: neurophysiology; motor neuron disorders; peripheral nervous system; neurorehabilitation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. George K. Papadimas

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Guest Editor
Department of Neurology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11528 Athens, Greece
Interests: neuromuscular disorders; myopathies; muscle biopsy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We invite you to contribute to our Special Issue entitled “Physical Therapy in Neurorehabilitation: 2nd Edition”. We published nine papers in the first edition and are excited to continue this series. For more details, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/jcm/special_issues/KXX2V06H4L.

Neurological disorders, regardless of the underlying pathology, present a wide range of symptoms, many of which cause functional impairment in patients. Moreover, there is no cure for many of these disorders, pharmacological treatments are not sufficient in alleviating symptoms, and quality of life is, thus, affected. Pain is one of the most common symptoms and, at the same time, the most difficult to reduce. Instability, muscle weakness, numbness, and loss of coordination, all of which occur in neurological patients, are not responsive to drug treatment and the patients are left helpless. On those grounds, extensive attempts have been made in nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs), ranging from herbals and dietary supplements to specific physiotherapeutic interventions. The body of literature is growing slowly but steadily. NPIs are generally well tolerated and safe, and furthermore, they do not interact with pharmacological agents. Thus, NPIs offer an alternative to symptom management symptom. In this Special Issue, we welcome authors to submit papers on advances in the use of physical therapy in patients suffering from neurological disorders.

Dr. Marianna Papadopoulou
Dr. George K. Papadimas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • physical therapy
  • transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
  • muscle strengthening
  • balance exercising
  • pain
  • quality of life
  • neurodegenerative disorders
  • neuromuscular disorders
  • stroke
  • demyelinating disorders

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

30 pages, 9243 KB  
Article
Direct Peroneal and Tibial Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Improving Postural Control in European Women with Diabetic Polyneuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial
by Mustafa Al-Zamil, Natalia G. Kulikova, Larisa V. Smekalkina, Natalia A. Shnayder, Natalia B. Korchazhkina, Oleg S. Vasilyev, Regina F. Nasyrova, Margarita V. Naprienko, Olga V. Khripunova and Numan Mansur
J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15(13), 5000; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15135000 (registering DOI) - 26 Jun 2026
Abstract
Background: Postural disability develops in almost all patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). While transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has proven effective in regressing sensory and motor impairments, its efficacy in improving postural control remains insufficiently studied. Purpose: To evaluate and compare the efficacy [...] Read more.
Background: Postural disability develops in almost all patients with diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). While transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) has proven effective in regressing sensory and motor impairments, its efficacy in improving postural control remains insufficiently studied. Purpose: To evaluate and compare the efficacy of direct peroneal and tibial high-frequency low-amplitude (HFLA) TENS and low-frequency high-amplitude (LFHA) TENS in correcting DPN-related postural disability, among European female patients without a documented history of falls, motor deficits, or pronounced electromyographic impairments, using computerized static posturography and the tandem walk test. Materials and methods: In this single-center, three-arm, randomized controlled trial (registration number: ISRCTN47534508, 3 December 2024), we conducted a longitudinal prospective analysis of European women with DPN-related postural disability. All enrolled patients were non-fallers with no motor deficits and baseline compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitudes of the peroneal and tibial nerves of at least 1.5 mV. The intervention groups received HFLA TENS (n = 24) or LFHA TENS (n = 25), while the control group underwent sham TENS (n = 24). Primary endpoints were assessed via static posturography and the tandem walk test (TWT); secondary endpoints were evaluated using hypoesthesia and pain evaluation, the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction in Balance (mCTSIB), and electromyography. Assessments were performed before treatment, immediately post-treatment, and at the conclusion of a 2-month follow-up period. Results: Comparative analysis incorporating the Bonferroni adjustment demonstrated that LFHA TENS is significantly superior to HFLA TENS. Post-treatment, LFHA TENS induced a reduction in envelope area by 20.7% under the eyes-open (EO) condition (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0028) and 32.9% under the eyes-closed (EC) condition (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0028), alongside a 16.6% decrease in the Romberg uotient (RQ) (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0056). Furthermore, LFHA TENS elicited a significant 39.0% reduction in velocity of CoP sway (VCS) under the EO condition (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0042), and decreased total CoP sway excursion by an average of 35.8% (EO) (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0042) and 43.8% (EC) (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0042) compared to baseline. In contrast, no statistically significant changes in these parameters were observed after HFLA TENS. Ultimately, LFHA TENS outperformed HFLA TENS in improving postural stability by 7.04% under the EO condition (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0042) and by 25.5% under the EC condition (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0042) in both the tandem walk test (TWT) and the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB). Notably, a statistically significant increase in the CMAP amplitude of the affected peroneal nerves by 22.2% was observed exclusively following LFHA TENS treatment (p < αadj; αadj = 0.0056). Conclusions: The clinical efficacy of direct peroneal and tibial TENS compared to sham stimulation in reducing postural disability during both static and dynamic conditions was established in European female patients with moderate-to-severe DPN and unremarkable EMG impairments. Comparative analysis reveals a clear therapeutic superiority of LFHA TENS over HFLA TENS, as evidenced by significantly greater improvements in both posturographic parameters (envelope area, total CoP excursion under EO and EC conditions, and VCS under the EO condition) and functional clinical tests (TWT and mCTSIB), demonstrating long-term stability for up to 2 months post-intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Therapy in Neurorehabilitation: 2nd Edition)
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