The Effectiveness of Electrical Stimulation in Swallowing Rehabilitation in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose The aim is to investigate the effectiveness of NMES in the functional and electrophysiological rehabilitation of swallowing difficulties in dysphagic children with cerebral palsy. Methods Twenty-six children diagnosed with dysphagia, with a mean age of 7.02 ± 2.40 years, were included in the study and randomly allocated into two groups (NMES,n = 16;Sham NMES,n = 10). All participants received swallowing disorder rehabilitation approaches, including oral motor exercises, laryngeal mobilization, thermal-tactile stimulation, and gum massage, totaling 12 sessions. In addition to swallowing rehabilitation, stimulation was applied to the groups. Participants underwent assessments including Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Clinical Assessment of Head Control, Pediatric Eating Assessment Tool (Pedi-EAT 10), Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS), Karaduman Chewing Performance Scale (KCPS), Swallowing Ability and Function Evaluation (SAFE), and Electrophysiological Evaluation of the Suprahyoid Muscle in four consistencies (spontaneous, liquid, viscous, and solid swallowing). Results Both interventions showed no difference in swallowing functionality (p > 0.05). It was found that NMES improved muscle contraction performance in solid foods (p < 0.05). It is noteworthy that swallowing duration and the resting potential of the muscle decreased after treatment in all consistencies for both treatment groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion Positive improvements in swallowing performance were observed in both treatment groups after treatment. It was determined that NMES did not have superiority over Sham-NMES in terms of swallowing functionality, but NMES was found to have superiority in the treatment of suprahyoid muscle performance during spontaneous swallowing and solid food ingestion. We believe NMES will be beneficial in increasing muscle strength in solid swallowing.