CLINICAL USE OF FUNCTIONAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION FOR CORRECTION OF FOOT DROP: A COMPARISON BETWEEN SUBACUTE AND CHRONIC STROKE PATIENTS

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) allows active exercises for correction of foot drop in stroke patients. Our objective is to evaluate and compare the effects of FES therapy in walking ability, calf muscle spasticity, and lower-extremity motor recovery between subacute and chronic stroke patients. Twenty consecutive hemiplegic patients having foot drop were assigned either to subacute or chronic group. Both group subjects were treated with conventional rehabilitation program combined with FES therapy for 12 weeks. All subjects received the electrical stimulation to the peroneal nerve of paretic limb for 15–30 min while walking. After being treated with FES-based rehabilitation program, subacute subjects showed a mean increase in walking speed of 31.3% and chronic subjects of 19.1% and the physiological cost index (PCI), with a reduction of 66.7% in subacute subjects and 46.4% in chronic subjects between the beginning and end of the trial. Improvement was also measured in gait parameters such as cadence, step and stride lengths, ankle joint range of motion (ROM), calf muscle spasticity, and lower-extremity motor recovery assessed by Fugl-Meyer score in both group subjects, but subacute subjects improved better compared with chronic subjects. In conclusion, early and intensive interventions of FES therapy combine with conventional rehabilitation program could significantly improve the waking ability and recovery of lower-extremity motor functions in stroke survivors.