Effect of Electromyography Feedback Functional Electrical Stimulation on Plantar Pressure under Walking in Stroke Patients / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of electromyography feedback functional electrical stimulation (FES) on plan-tar pressure of stroke patients. Methods 18 subjects were included in this study, who were with drop foot resulting from stroke, but could partly dorsiflex the paretic limb's ankle (Manual Muscle Test>2). They were tested on the RS-footscan plate before and after stimulation. The plantar pressure data of paretic foot and walking velocity before and after stimulation were compared. Results The initial touchdown points of most paretic foot were changed from Meta (metatarsal) 5 to heel;the time of initial touchdown of heel medial and heel lateral sig-nificantly improved, while that of Meta 3, Meta 4 and Meta 5 significantly delayed;the peak force, impulse and contact area of the heel sig-nificantly improved after stimulation (P<0.05). At the same time, the time of initial touchdown of heel medial and heel lateral of nonparetic foot significantly improved (P<0.05). Conclusion Electromyography feedback functional electrical stimulation can improve the gait pattern and the stability of patients with stroke.