Abstract—Spastic tone increase is a frequent phenomenon after lesions on central nervous system. There are numerous and various physiotherapeutic and pharmacological options available and all of this are not enough to control the negative effects of muscle stiffness. We investigated the possible effects of repetitive magnetic stimulation on spastic tone increase of the lower limbs by applying the stimulation paravertebrally at the lumbar level in order to stimulate spinal nerve roots innervating the targeted muscles, the quadriceps muscle of the thigh. Index Terms—Muscle stiffness, peripheral repetitive magnetic stimulation, stroke rehabilitation. I. INTRODUCTION The increase of the elder population is a general phenomenon for European countries [1]. Once with the age, the chronic diseases, especially stroke, frequently encountered in elderly patients, contribute to functional disability. In Europe, the annual incidence for stroke is 113 per 100,000 per year [2]. All the stroke survivors require rehabilitation in order to help them to become as independent as possible and to attain the best possible quality of life. After damage to central motor pathways, there is initial paralysis followed by adaptive changes, in the brain and spinal cord that develop over time, which result in a complex set of motor behaviors [3]–[7]. Paresis, soft tissue contracture, and muscle overactivity are the 3 major mechanisms of motor impairment [8]. Three months after stroke for instance, 25% of the surviving patients present an upper limb and 15 % of them - lower limb stiffness [8], [9] an important cause of disability. Increased tone or spasticity is a term often used as an umbrella term, but is important to understand that it is just one component of the muscle overactivity. Extensive work was done in order to develop improved treatments for muscle overactivity and to improve the outcome in patients with upper neuron motor lesion, even though the treatment remains a big challenge for neurological rehabilitation. Usually the patient seeking treatment is looking for increased function, a decrease in their pain, improve posture or easing of their caregiver’s burden. In order to design the treatment plans and goals that fits each patient the clinicians need to consider some factors: the patient [10]; the support Manuscript received May 29, 2016; revised July 23, 2016. L. Grozoiu, A. G. Marin, I. Ciobanu, and M. Berteanu are with the Rehabilitation Department of Elias University Hospital, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bucharest, Romania (e-mail: laviniagrozoiu@gmail.com, mberteanu@gmail.com). system [11], financial resources [12], the skills of the treatment team and the availability of different treatment modalities [13]. Nowadays, beside the conventional treatment of muscle overactivity which includes: oral medication, physical and occupational therapy, chemoneurolysis with Phenol and Alcohol, Botulinum toxin injections (BTX), intrathecal treatment and surgery, the painless and non-invasive repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation of nerves, muscles or spinal roots can be an alternative. Magnetically stimulation of excitable tissue has been studied for more than a century [10-16]. More than this repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation has been used in studies on people for two decades and became more attention in clinical neurorehabilitation research. It is mainly proposed that peripheral recruitment of sensory afferents generates cortical somesthesic reactivation that may improve sensorial and motoric integration in patient with stroke [17], [18]. A literature review showed few studies which provides results regarding the influence of rPMS over nerve, muscle and spinal roots in healthy individuals and in people with stroke, e.g. decreasing of spasticity and improvement in motoric function as well as activation of fronto-parietal loops. II. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY This study’s objective was to test whether rPMS paravertebrally lumbar and accompanied by a routine rehabilitation could lead to a reduction of quadriceps muscle stiffness on patients with stroke. III. METHOD A. Subjects A total of 12 patients (range: 62-78) with spastic tone increase of the lower limbs due to stroke lesions were investigated in this study. Patient’s characteristics:  The target joints of the upper and/or lower limb did not reach the neutral position when passively moved, even when applying a strong force. The corresponding value on the Modified Ashworth Scale (0-5) was 3 or 4, i.e. the joint could be moved minimally, but was not fixed.  A conventional X-ray excluded an osseous joint contracture and/or a myositis ossificans.  A preceding Botulinum A toxin injection with a dosage according to national guidelines had not resulted in a relevant stiffness reduction. The time interval since the last injection was at least four months. Spastic Tone Increase Reduced Using Repetitive Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation: Pilot Study Lavinia Grozoiu, Andreea Georgiana Marin, Ileana Ciobanu, and Mihai Berteanu International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 2017 56 doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2017.7.1.795