The Effectiveness of Functional Electrical Stimulation Based on a Normal Gait Pattern on Subjects with Early Stroke : A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: BioMed research international Vol. 2014; no. 2014; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Tan, Zhimei, Liu, Huihua, Yan, Tiebin, Jin, Dongmei, He, Xiaokuo, Zheng, Xiuyuan, Xu, Shuwei, Tan, Chunmei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Puplishing Corporation 01.01.2014; Hindawi Publishing Corporation; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Ankle; Brain research; Care and treatment; Clinical Study; Electric Stimulation Therapy - methods; Female; Gait; Gait - physiology; Health aspects; Humans; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Neural stimulation; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Patient outcomes; Rehabilitation; Stroke - classification; Stroke - epidemiology; Stroke - physiopathology; Stroke patients; Stroke Rehabilitation; Studies; Traditional Chinese medicine; Walking
• ISSN: 2314-6133; 2314-6141; 2314-6141
• DOI: 10.1155/2014/545408

Objective. To investigate the effectiveness of four-channel FES based on a normal gait pattern on improving functional ability in subjects early after ischemic stroke. Methods. Forty-five subjects were randomly assigned into a four-channel FES group (n=16), a placebo group (n=15), or a dual-channel group (n=14). Stimulation lasted for 30 min in each session with 1 session/day, 5 days a week for 3 weeks. All subjects were assessed at baseline, at 3 weeks of treatment, and at 3 months after the treatment had finished. The assessments included Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA), the Postural Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (PASS), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), and the Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Results. All 3 groups demonstrated significant improvements in all outcome measurements from pre- to posttreatment and further gains at followup. The score of FMA and MBI improved significantly in the four-channel group at the end of the 3 weeks of training. And the scores of PASS, BBS, MBI, and FAC in the four-channel group were significantly higher than those of the placebo group. Conclusions. This study indicated that four-channel FES can improve motor function, balance, walking ability, and performance of activities of daily living in subjects with early ischemic stroke.