Effects of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Upper Extremity Spasticity Post-Stroke: A Systematic Review

Upper extremity spasticity is one of the most popular impairments following stroke. It can reduce patients' functional level. Recently, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has emerged as a promising tool in stroke rehabilitation. This review was conducted to investigate the immediate and long-term effects of rTMS on the upper extremity spasticity poststroke and determine the optimal treatment protocols. PubMed, SCOPUS, PEDro, CINAHL, MEDLINE, REHABDATA, AMED, and Web of Science databases were searched for randomized controlled trials investigating the effect of rTMS on the upper extremity spasticity in patients with stroke. The methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. Ten randomized clinical trials were met the inclusion criteria. A total of 225 patients were included in this analysis, 35.30 % of whom were females. The mean age for all patients was 60.14 years. The findings showed heterogeneous evidence on the benefits of rTMS intervention in the upper extremity spasticity post-stroke. The evidence for the effect of rTMS on the upper extremity spasticity post-stroke is promising. Combining rTMS with other rehabilitation interventions may show a superior effect in reducing the upper extremity spasticity compared with rTMS intervention alone. Further randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-ups are warranted.