Instrumental Gait Analysis on People With Stroke After Rehabilitation With a Synchronized FES and Cycle Ergometer System

Overview

Functional electrical stimulation is a modality of motor rehabilitation that consists of the programmed application of bursts of electrical current to the affected neuromuscular region that aims to improve muscle strength, increase the range of motion, facilitate movement control and decrease spasticity. The present study aimed to measure the changes in the biomechanics of the gait of people with Stroke after training with functional electrical stimulation for the lower extremities.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and disability in adults in developed countries. Survivors may suffer several neurological deficits or deficiencies, such as hemiparesis, communication disorders, cognitive deficits and visuospatial perception disorders. Hemiplegia is a par loss of hemi-body voluntary motricity following a brain injury, usually resulting in alterations of the locomotor system with persistent disorders of movement and posture. Hemiplegia significantly affects gait performance. Gait recovery is an important objective in the rehabilitation program for stroke patients.The currently available treatment techniques include classical techniques of gait rehabilitation, functional electrical stimulation, electromechanic devices, robotic devices and brain-computer interfaces, among others.The evidence suggest that the combination of different rehabilitation strategies is more effective than conventional rehabilitation techniques alone. Technology-based rehabilitation methods such as robotic devices need more research to demonstrate their effects on gait recovery. The present study aimed to identify the changes in the gait characteristics of subjects with stroke after a treatment program with FES for the lower extremities through instrumental gait analysis.