Effects of intelligent power-assisted functional electrical stimulation therapy on ankle joint function in post-stroke subjects / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of power-assisted functional electrical stimulation (PAFES)therapy on ankle joint function recovery in stroke patients.Methods Ninety hemiplegic stroke patients were randomly and evenly divided into a control group,a PAFES group,and a neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)group.All groups received conventional rehabilitation training.PAFES group adopted PAFES treatment on affected lower extremities and NMES group was given the NMES therapy on the tibialis anterior of the affected lower limbs,in addition to conventional rehabilitation training.The active range of motion (AROM) of ankle dorsiflexion,FuglMeyer motor assessment (FMA),Barthel index (BI) and Ankle flexion and extension movement (AFEM) in 10 seconds were evaluated before the trial and after 4 weeks treatment.Results After treatment,there were significant differences in the AROM of ankle dorsiflexion,FMA,BI and AFEM (P ＜ 0.05) compared with before treatment within each group.The improvement of AROM of ankle dorsiflexion in PAFES group (8.19 ± 3.39) ° and the values in NMES group (8.96 ± 3.68) ° were to a significantly greater extend than control group (3.88 ± 4.10) ° (P ＜0.05) ; the improvement of FMA and BI in PAFES group was also superior to those in NMES group and control group (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The intelligent PAFES therapy could help improve AROM of ankle dorsiflexion,the motor function of the affected lower extremity and the ability of the activities of daily living in stroke patients.