Antispastic effect of penile vibration in men with spinal cord lesion

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible antispastic effect of penile vibratory stimulation (PVS) in men with spinal cord lesion (SCL). DESIGN: Unblinded, before-after trial. SETTING: Ambulatory care. PARTICIPANTS: Nine men with SCLs from C2 to T8 were randomly allocated into 2 groups. INTERVENTION: Twenty-four hours of electromyographic recordings from the quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscles were taken, followed by PVS or no treatment and another 24 hours of electromyographic recordings. The presence of electromyographic activity of an amplitude 4 times the baseline, with a duration of more than 5 seconds, was taken to signify a spasm. The number of spasms per hour was calculated before and after PVS and no treatment. Spasticity was evaluated by the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Reduction in spasticity and spasms. RESULTS: The electromyographic data showed a significant reduction in the frequency of leg spasms up to 3 hours (P<.05). Significantly decreased spasticity, as evaluated by MAS, was found immediately after vibration (P<.01). CONCLUSIONS: PVS may be useful as an antispastic therapy.