Clinical and Electrophysiological Evaluation of Physiotherapy Effectiveness in Patients with Sciatic Nerve Injuries

ABS TRACT Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate clinical and electrophysiological changes after physiotherapy in patients diagnosed with sciatic nerve injury (SNI).Material and Methods: Patients who underwent physical therapy in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation unit between January 2021 and June 2023 with diagnosis of a sciatic nerve lesion were screened.40 patients with pre-and post-treatment electromyography (ENMG) results were included in study.ENMG results and functional ambulation scale (FAS) scores were compared before and after physiotherapy.The physiotherapy protocol included neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), manual therapy techniques (soft tissue, joint, and nerve mobilization), and stretching/strengthening exercises.Results: A total of 40 patients were included in study.The mean number of physiotherapy sessions was 25.75 (5.06).After physiotherapy, 24 patients (60%) continued to use footup ankle-foot orthosis and FAS scores improved from 2-3 before treatment to 4-5 after physiotherapy.The tibial, fibular and sural nerves were studied in ENMG before and after treatment, and significant post-treatment changes were observed in motor amplitudes of tibial and fibular nerves after treatment, while no significant improvement was observed in sural nerve (p