Stoquart G, Detrembleur C, Palumbo S, Deltombe T, Lejeune T M
The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) injection in the rectus femoris on the decreased knee flexion during the swing phase of gait (stiff-knee gait) in people with stroke. 19 chronic hemiparetic adults presenting with stiff-knee gait took part. The Stroke Impairment Assessment Set (SIAS), Duncan-Ely test, and an instrumented gait analysis were completed before and 2 months after the BTX-A rectus femoris injection.
The authors found that the 4 patients who almost did not flex the knee (<10°) before the BTX-A rectus femoris injection did not improve after the injection. The other 14 patients who flexed the knee more than 10° before the BTX-A rectus femoris injection decreased the walking energy cost. Therefore, they concluded that BTX-A rectus femoris injection may be beneficial in patients with a stiff-knee gait after stroke, particularly in patients with some knee flexion (>10°).
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2008, 89 (1), 56-61