Abstract
Ankle dorsiflexion weakness that impedes walking affects some 30% of people after
a stroke, which increases the risk of falls and mortality. Recent advances in functional
electrical stimulation or electrical stimulation orthotic substitute walking devices
facilitate the use of surface electrode stimulation during therapeutic gait training
and as an orthotic substitute. However, many therapists who could promote the use
of these electrical stimulation orthotic substitute devices are not doing so, possibly
because of a lack of knowledge about the devices and uncertainty about which patients
could benefit from the devices but also because of a lack of reimbursement by some
insurance providers. In addition, there is limited evidence about the efficacy of
electrical stimulation orthotic substitute devices for therapeutic use or as a substitute
for a traditional ankle-foot orthosis (AFO). This article provides clinicians with
information to guide them in the use of electrical stimulation orthotic substitute
devices, discusses current research about the use of electrical stimulation orthotic
substitute devices for therapeutic and orthotic purposes, and compares the use of
electrical stimulation orthotic substitute devices and AFOs. There is insufficient
evidence thus far to conclude that walking with an electrical stimulation orthotic
substitute device is superior to walking with an AFO, but electrical stimulation orthotic
substitute devices may be the optimal choice for some patients.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
AFO (ankle-foot orthosis), FES (functional electrical stimulation)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 08, 2013
Footnotes
No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has conferred or will confer a benefit on the authors or on any organization with which the authors are associated.
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Copyright
© 2014 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
