Review Article

A Meta-Analysis: Whether Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improves Dysfunction Caused by Stroke with Lower Limb Spasticity

Table 1

Characteristics of included articles.

Author/yearSample sizeMean age (y)Course of disease (m)InterventionTreatment durationStimulated siteTreatment parametersRCT typeOutcome
Treatment/control

Chieffo et al., 2020 [19]6/658.67 ± 10.33/61.17 ± 8.7041.50 ± 26.77/41.00 ± 26.54r + c/sham + c15 min/day, 11 sessionsBilateral leg motor cortex20 Hz, 80%–90% RMT,
H-coil
Crossover trialFMA-LE, MAS, 10-MT, 6MWT
Rastgoo et al., 2016 [15]7/754.60 ± 11.75/49.70 ± 11.0030.2 ± 18.3/27.4 ± 20.1r/sham20 min/day, 5 daysLeg motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere1 Hz, 90% RMT,
eight coil
Crossover trialMMAS, FMA-LE, Hmax/Mmax, TUG
Yijie, 2018 [20]70/7055.20 ± 11.50/51.30 ± 12.1031.60 ± 11.5/51.3 ± 12.1r + R/sham + R20 min/day, 5 daysContralateral cerebral cortex1 Hz, 90% RMT,
eight coil
Crossover trialMAS, FMA-LE, Hmax/Mmax, TUG
Jing et al., 2018 [21]24/2456.55 ± 13.11/57.33 ± 12.003.58 ± 2.44/4.01 ± 2.89 daysr + R/R15 min/day, 1 monthPrimary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere1 Hz, 90% RMTFactorial trialMAS, FMA-LE, MBI, BBS
Jing et al., 2018 [21]24/2456.21 ± 11.68/55.93 ± 13.884.33 ± 2.57/4.41 ± 2.69 daysr + B + R/B + R15 min/day, 1 monthPrimary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere1 Hz, 90% RMTFactorial trialMAS, FMA-LE, MBI, BBS
Yang et al., 2015 [22]60/6058.7 ± 3.5/59.2 ± 3.34.6 ± 1.2/4.3 ± 1.4r + R/r15 min/day, 5 days/week, 8 weeksM1 of the affected hemisphere2 Hz, 90% RMT
butterfly shaped coils
Parallel trialFMA, FAC, CSI, 10-MT
Hong et al., 2016 [17]20/2062.18 ± 13.66/61.23 ± 14.243.98 ± 2.05/4.61 ± 2.50 daysr + R/R20 min/day, 6 days/week, 4 weeksPrimary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere1 Hz, 90% RMT
circular coil
Factorial trialMAS, FMA-LE, MBI
Hong et al., 2016 [17]20/2061.99 ± 15.02/60.89 ± 15.164.02 ± 3.17/4.35 ± 3.28 daysr + B + R/r + B20 min/day, 6 days/week, 4 weeksPrimary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere1 Hz, 90% RMT
circular coil
Parallel trialMAS, FMA-LE, MBI
Huayao et al., 2019 [23]47/4543.33 ± 9.18/44.33 ± 9.94─────r + F/sham + F20 min/day, 5 days/week, 4 weeksM1 of the affected brain hemisphere1 HzParallel trialMAS, FMA-LE, MEP

r: rehabilitation; sham: sham rTMS; c: cycling; B: BTX-A; R: rehabilitation; F: FES (functional electrical stimulation).