ELECTRICALLY INDUCED FLEXION REFLEX IN GAIT TRAINING OF HEMIPLEGIC PATIENTS - INDUCTION OF REFLEX

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 57  (7) , 311-314
Abstract
Since the introduction of the concept of functional electrical stimulation, the use of multiple stimulation sites to activate several paretic muscles in a coordinated fashion during ambulation was suggested. Rather than stimulating multiple muscles, a train of electrical pulses was applied to a single skin area to activate several muscles simultaneously through the induction of a flexion reflex, and the effectiveness of this reflex was evalvated in producing or assisting the swing phase of the gait cycle in the hemiplegic patient. Two considerations in selecting the best stimulus site were the magnitude of the reflex as measured by the length of time the foot was off the floor following a stimulus and the patient''s tolerance to the stimulus. The magnitude of the reflex was proportional to the strength of the stimulus current in all skin areas tested, namely, the sole, dorsum of the foot and lower posterior thigh. Of the 6 patients tested a flexion reflex was not elicitable by sole stimulation in one and by posterior thigh stimulation in another. In every case, compared to the 2 other areas, stimulation of the sole was best tolerated and produced responses of equal or greater magnitude with the same intensity of current, even though larger voltages were required owing to greater tissue impedances. With a fixed frequency of 30 Hz, a pulse duration of 3 ms and a stimulus current sufficient to produce the reflex, the duration of the reflex could be adjusted for each patient by varying the train duration from 100-700 ms. This technique offered a means of providing or assisting the swing phase in the gait training of the hemiplegic patient.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: