Author

Po-Kai Wang

View on Semantic Scholar

2 papers indexed here

We haven’t gathered this author’s papers yet. Follow them and we’ll fetch their work.

Not the right person? Other researchers publish under this name.

Open access Jul 2026

Long-term functional recovery and immediate neuromuscular facilitation following epidural spinal cord stimulation in chronic spinal cord injury: a pilot cohort study

Background Epidural spinal cord stimulation (eSCS) has shown promise in facilitating motor recovery in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI); however, long-term functional trajectories beyond 12 months and the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying eSCS-mediated recovery remain poorly characterized. This pilot cohort study investigated the 24-month functional recovery trajectory following eSCS combined with structured rehabilitation in patients with chronic SCI and evaluated the immediate neuromuscular facilitation effects of eSCS using surface electromyography. Methods Eleven patients with chronic SCI (median age, 56 years; 90.9% male; AIS grades A-D; median time since injury, 7 years) who underwent eSCS implantation and completed at least 24 months of follow-up were included. Motor score, pinprick sensory score, Barthel Index, WISCI II, VAS for pain, and WHOQOL-BREF were assessed at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months. Surface electromyography of bilateral rectus femoris and tibialis anterior was obtained 1 month post-implantation under stimulation-off and stimulation-on conditions. Longitudinal changes were evaluated using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Significant improvements were observed across all functional domains over 24 months. Median motor score increased from 60 to 66 (Δ = +6.0, p = 0.001), Barthel Index from 40 to 60 (Δ = +20.0, p = 0.001), and WISCI II from 5 to 13 (Δ = +8.0, p = 0.001). VAS decreased from 6 to 3 (Δ = −3.0, p = 0.002), and WHOQOL-BREF increased from 39 to 53 (Δ = +14.0, p = 0.001). All 11 patients (100%) exceeded minimal clinically important difference thresholds for motor function, functional independence, and ambulation; 82% achieved the threshold for pain reduction. Pinprick sensory score improved significantly from 9 months onward. Surface electromyography demonstrated immediate neuromuscular facilitation in all participants under stimulation-on conditions, with median rectus femoris and tibialis anterior facilitation ratios of 1.24 and 1.14, respectively (both p = 0.003), including in patients with motor-complete injuries. Conclusion In patients with chronic SCI, eSCS combined with structured rehabilitation produced sustained and clinically meaningful improvements across multiple functional domains over 24 months, with recovery continuing beyond the first year. These findings support eSCS as a long-term therapeutic strategy for chronic SCI and highlight the importance of extended follow-up to capture the full recovery trajectory.

Hsiang-ling Huang, Yu-Chen Chen, Po-Kai Wang et al. · Frontiers in Neurology · 0 citations

Aug 2026

Age-Specific Signatures of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage and the Neuromodulatory Efficacy of Standardized Foam Rolling.

PURPOSE This study aimed to elucidate age-specific mechanical and physiological recovery kinetics following maximal eccentric exercise and evaluate the efficacy of force-plate-standardized foam rolling (FR) intervention in mitigating myofascial stiffening and systemic biomarker efflux across young and middle-aged populations. METHODS Thirty-two physically active males were stratified into young (20-30 years) and middle-aged (40-55 years) groups. Using a randomized, counterbalanced crossover design, participants performed a high-volume, maximal eccentric knee protocol (20 sets, 236 total repetitions across varying velocities) followed by either passive recovery (control) or standardized FR. Mechanical properties via ultrasound shear wave elastography, systemic biomarkers, creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and perceived soreness were assessed at baseline, 0 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h post-exercise. RESULTS In control, both groups exhibited profound delayed-onset CK elevation peaking at 72 h. Counterintuitively, while the middle-aged group generated significantly greater absolute mechanical work and peak torque during the exercise protocol, it was the young group that demonstrated massively higher secondary CK and LDH efflux. The middle-aged group exhibited immediate sarcolemma fragility (elevated CK at 0 h) and structural resistance to FR-induced tissue softening. Despite distinct damage signatures, standardized FR effectively blunted secondary CK efflux, eradicated age-related disparities in LDH magnitude, and universally alleviated perceived soreness. Notably, objective mechanical restoration was not significantly correlated with subjective pain reduction. CONCLUSIONS Biological aging and maximal eccentric exercise interacted to produce distinct damage signatures. Aging myofascial tissue appeared to provide a "mechanical shield" that protected against massive delayed-onset structural disruption despite sustaining greater absolute mechanical work, albeit exhibiting immediate membrane fragility and localized mechanical recalcitrance. Nevertheless, standardized FR serves as a potent physiological homogenizer and neuromodulator, effectively blunting secondary damage and alleviating soreness across demographics, independent of absolute mechanical tissue softening.

H. Wen, Po-Kai Wang, Ting-Yao Wang et al. · Medicine & Science in Sports... · 0 citations