EFEITOS TERAPÊUTICOS NA ESTABILOMETRIA, CAPACIDADE FUNCIONAL E QUALIDADE DE VIDA COM A ELETROESTIMULAÇÃO NEUROMUSCULAR ASSOCIADA SIMULTANEAMENTE À FOTOBIOMODULAÇÃO NOS MÚSCULOS QUADRÍCEPS FEMORAIS E GASTROCNÊMIOS DE IDOSAS

Abstract

Introduction: Aging predisposes to a reduction in muscle strength, promoting instability in locomotion and body balance. In this sense, it becomes important to analyze the responses of body stability, physical capacity, and quality of life in the simultaneous application of Neuromuscular Electrostimulation (NEMS) and Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBT), in both the quadriceps (QF) and gastrocnemius (Gt) muscles of elderly women. Objectives: to analyze the supplementary therapeutic responses of TPBM in body stability, physical performance, and quality of life, simultaneously associated with EENM in the right and left gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles of elderly women during a 4-week treatment program. Methodology: The participants (28 women, 71.22±5.83 years) of the double-blind study were randomly divided into groups treated with NMES associated with active PBMT (n=14) and NMES associated with placebo TFBM (n=14), performed three times a week (with intervals of 48 hours) over four weeks (12 sessions). The participants were subjected to EENM (50 Hz, with 20 minutes per session) applied bilaterally to the quadriceps and gluteus muscles, with weekly evolution in the contraction-rest time. The energy of the TFBM was applied to the quadriceps (125.1 J) and to the gluteus (41.7 J) using Laser Matrices (830 nm) and LEDs (850 nm). The analyses of therapeutic responses were through stabilometry, tests for functional capacity of walking speed and the Timed Up and Go (TUG), and the SF-36 questionnaire for Quality of Life. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of UFMS, with opinion number 6,529,039 and registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC): U1111-1311-0859. The results were statistically analyzed, with comparisons between groups and at pre and post-treatment times, using appropriate tests for parametric and non-parametric data, with significance of p