Stroke Gait Rehabilitation Using Functional Electrical Stimulation

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a technique that causes a muscle to contract through the use of an electrical current. The therapist applies an electrical current to either the skin over the nerve, or over the bulk of the muscle, and this will cause a muscle contraction. The FES is delivered to 2 muscle groups (dorsiflexor and plantarflexor) timed appropriately with the gait cycle. FastFES gait training sessions may comprise up to six 6-minute bouts of walking with rest breaks between bouts (total 30-minutes of walking). The last training bout (bout 6) may comprise 6-minutes of over ground walking, during which subjects will be asked to walk as fast as they can. For safety, a physical therapist will walk with and guard the subject during over ground walking.

Fast walking training sessions will be similar to FastFES in duration, dosage, structure but no FES will be provided.